


Magic in Cokeworth

by la_haine_pacifique



Series: How it Should Have Been [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: How it should have been, I'm Sorry, I'm so sorry, JUST, James is a prat, Like pain, Modern AU, Pre-Marauders' Era, abuse mention, and cliffhangers, au everything, boys wearing corsets, but i'm leaving the warnings up, but we all knew that already, complete harry potter au, fancy party that eight year olds do not care about, for now, god this is gonna hurt, happy sev, rape mention, relationship hints and things, sev and lily go to hogwarts early!, snape is raised by the evans'!, so many things, so many things are happening like wow, some torture, sufferfluff, the mentions are still only in those first two chapters, things!, vague hints at a relationship between aunt minnie and uncle elphie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-18 01:11:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 76,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4686650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_haine_pacifique/pseuds/la_haine_pacifique
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would happen if Snape ran away as a child and was taken in by the Evans family?<br/>ON HIATUS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Spinner's End

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: There are graphic depictions of abuse in this fic, but I need them there to set up things for later (fluffier) plot points. I am so very, very sorry. There are also mentions of rape, but they are only briefly alluded to, with just enough to let you know that it happened.
> 
> There was a quick edit to change the years everything happened. I had it pointed out that for some things I want to have happen, the story has to be brought forward about 20 years. I'm so sorry!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story has been edited, as of November 22nd, for spelling, consistency, clarity, and some historical accuracy.  
> Edited again April 10th.  
> This has been edited yet again.  
> What could possibly happen when a young Severus Snape finds himself taken from his abusive father and thrown into the open arms of a loving family?

**~May 1986~**

17 Spinner's End was home to a rather… _ unhappy _ … family.

Tobias Snape was the man of the house, if one could be bothered to call him such. He was a tall bastard, with his gut starting to hang over his trousers. Lank hair hung about his face, the dark brown strands sticking to his face more often than not. There was a crooked nose in the not-quite-center of his face, accentuated by the deep bags under his eyes and a permanent furrow in his brow. He was a drunkard - constantly out of the job, with his money was constantly wasted on liquors and beer. If not wasted on frivolities like the new color telly sitting on a stack of crates in the living room, that is. The telly was angled perfectly in front of a threadbare couch, so that Tobias would be able to throw himself onto it and watch whatever nonsense came on while half lying down, usually already on his way to a drunken stupor.

Eileen Prince was his wife, and quite regrettably so. She was tall - but not quite so tall as Tobias - and haughty, but fair enough to look at; She never did fit together with the image of Tobias. Maybe it was the way household care came so easily to her, or the way the decrepit house was eerily devoid of dust and dirt, or maybe it was just the way she carried herself - as if she were some unknown noble amongst commoners - but the consensus was that she had no true place at the side of Tobias Snape. Her eyes were as dark as her hair, set atop a perfectly aquiline nose that would undoubtedly come to be mirrored by her son's in the future. She was fair enough, but her face and quirks could not detract from the fact that she was a coward. She had been seen, on more than one occasion, manipulating blame so that it fell seamlessly away from her. She wasn't one for owning up to her mistakes and wrongdoing, simply shoving them onto the next plausible culprit. In short, Eileen Prince was what the neighbourhood boys called a 'bint.'

The pair had a single son, whom Eileen had named Severus. He was short for his age, scrawny, and had a tendency to show up with odd bruises and the most fantastic excuses for their existence. He was an exceptionally nervous child, flinching and jumping at nearly everything. No one thought that they'd ever really seen him relaxed, despite his constant smiling. He was a bit meek, if anything else, lacking the rambunctious spirit of boys his age. Those that knew him were certain something was wrong with him, but no one could really identify what it was that sat niggling in the back of their minds whenever Severus explained away a new bruise.

They should have looked into it.

**~x~x~**

That fateful May morning was like every other that Spinner's End had seen: grey and dull. The street was dingy, and - as always - Severus Snape was looking quite desperately for a place to hide.

"Damn, damn,  _ damn _ ," he muttered under his breath, ruling out many of his usual hidey holes. His dad would be coming home from an interview soon, and he wanted to avoid detection, especially with how his day at the local primary had gone. Tobias would have started on the drink by the time he arrived, and hearing about that day's events would not make him any less volatile. His mum, passed out in front of the telly, wouldn't be much help either. No, she was more likely to just sell him out.

_ There! _

Severus tore himself from his thoughts, dark eyes lighting up at the sight of the dumbwaiter in the kitchen. He hadn't hidden there before, so his dad would never expect it! His trainers squeaked loudly against the linoleum tiles as he scrambled across the kitchen. From the look of the door, it would be old and worn down, but time was getting short and he didn't have much choice now. Dust flew out as he pulled the door open, making him cough. He climbed in anyways. The bottom creaked in warning as Severus' small body settled onto it, but time was out now. He closed the dumbwaiter door just seconds before the front door slammed open.

There was a deafening silence in the dumbwaiter as Severus held his breath. It was cramped and hot in there, and the air was rank with the smell of rot. He couldn't leave, though. He could hear his parents' muffled arguing, and it seemed to go on forever.  _ Damn, he probably woke her up. _ She'd definitely sell him out now.  _ Damn! _

"WHERE IS THE BOY?!" cracked through the house, and fear sank into his bones. His mum must have told him what had happened today. The thought didn't linger for long. Instead, he focused on the resumed arguing from the front end of the house. Whatever it was his mum had said must not have been good enough, as it was cut short with a resounding  **_CRACK!_ **

There was a deadly, silent moment before his dad's voice filled the air around him again.

"SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE! GET OUT HERE, _ BOY _ !"

Severus hated how the word 'boy' sounded like a curse coming out of his father's mouth, like it was some dirty word only to be used to label the lowest of the low.

Every nerve in his body screamed at him to run, to let his feet carry him far, far from the reach of his father. But he couldn't. Severus Snape was stuck in place in that tiny dumbwaiter, all but holding his breath as he prayed that he would stay hidden. Listening carefully, he could hear his dad thunder around the house. His footsteps were as loud and harsh as his tirade.

Seconds stretched into minutes that he soon lost count of. His back and shoulders ached, and his knees were throbbing their protest in a steady rhythm. He couldn't move, though. He didn't know if it was safe. Severus looked at the bottom of the dumbwaiter door, trying to see what sort of light was coming through. It was yellow, like the kitchen light was, but something was off about it. It was only coming in through the two corners. The middle length of the crack was dark, almost as if… His breath caught in his throat. Every single fibre that was Severus Snape froze, and a long minute passed.

The dark strip didn't move, and he was close to panicking. The dust and mould and rot of the old wood were starting to get to him. His nose stung, and he found his eyes watering in protest. He held his breath, praying - no, _ begging _ \- that he didn't sneeze. But the gods listened today about as well as they usually did.

Severus couldn't hold the sneeze in, and the sheer force of it shook the dumbwaiter. The door snapped open. Light flooded in, creating a sinister halo around Tobias Snape. Severus found himself crying almost immediately as his dad reached in, hands closing painfully around his thin arms.

"You hush up, boy! I heard what you did today!" he shouted, spittle flying in Severus' face as he was roughly pulled from the dumbwaiter. His skin stung where it was quickly dragged across the old wood.

"I didn't do it! IwasagoodboyIwasagoodboy _ Iwasagoodboysir _ **_Ipromise_ ** !" The words spewed from his mouth in a huge rush, violent sobs following soon after. There wasn't much more of a reaction to be had from the way his father looked at him. His dark eyes, so akin to Severus' own, were swimming with hate and drink.  _ Not like they ever weren't. _

"You can't lie to me, _ boy _ !" Tobias shouted, shaking him roughly by the arm before nearly tossing him to the floor.

Severus continued his protest as he was dropped on the floor. His father stood there, watching as he cried. Terror continued to force its way through him for a good five minutes before his father did anything else.

As his sobs died down, Tobias leaned down to whisper in his ear, voice filled with venom. "You bloody freak. I should have dropped you and your mum years ago." Tobias straightened back up again, before lashing a kick out at Severus' exposed back. The was a snap that seemed to fill the entire kitchen, and his father's face lit up in glee.

"Worthless boy!" he shouted. "Stupid, ungrateful, weak, snivelling, freakish, mess of a  _ son _ !" Every word was punctuated by a kick.

Pain bloomed like a vicious flower with every strike, and he was powerless to defend himself. He couldn't do anything but cry out as he was pulled up from the floor by his collar, or when he was thrown up against the wall. The look in his dad's eyes terrified him, largely because he couldn't name it. He didn't know what it was, but it reminded him of maliciousness and something… worse. He screamed as he was slammed against the wall a good number of times, until he could no longer protest his treatment. He could do no more than whimper as he was dragged from the kitchen through the rest of the house.

His dad tossed him over his shoulder in the living room. His screams were reborn again as pain shot through every single nerve he had - pain that was more searing agony than anything else. The most horrible sounds he could make ripped their way through his throat the entire way as his dad carried him up the stairs, every step jolting his injuries again and again. He almost sobbed in relief when his dad set him down in the master bedroom, but that sob was cut short.

Things he didn't want to see, didn't want to remember.

Hands reaching for him. Undoing the buttons on his shirt.

The draughty house raising Severus' skin in soft goosebumps.

Being led towards the bed.

"I'll teach you what happens to freaks" whispered against his neck.

Things to forget. Things to forget. Things to never see again.

Severus wondered where his mum was the whole time. Why wasn't she helping him? Why didn't she save him? Wasn't that what mums were supposed to do? No... she wouldn't help him. She never did.

The last thought he had before pain took him was a single, desperate wish that some day, be it near or far from now, he would have a family that loved him. A  _ real _ family.

Both father and son missed the soft whirl of wind that teased the edges of everything briefly before disappearing, leaving no trace that it had ever been there.

**~x~x~**

Eileen Prince disappeared after that first night, as if she had simply ceased to exist. Severus couldn't know, but it was close enough to the truth. Tobias merely shrugged off the fact that his wife was missing, saying that she'd probably just run off with some other bloke.

Severus was pulled out of school by Tobias the day after the incident, giving the two  _ plenty _ of time to set up a routine. Severus would wake, cold and alone, much like he did that very morning.

It had been a month since that particular day had come to pass, and he was starting to lose hope for ever getting away. His lost hope probably had something to do with the chains and collar that Tobias had put on him. He fingered the collar gently, cheeks flaming at the memory.

_ It had been just a few days after that first one. His father had come home with a bag from the local pet store, and he'd been confused. They didn't have any pets. Tobias had pulled out the collar - black leather with silver spikes on it - with a sadistic grin spread wide across his face. _

_ "Strip, boy!" he'd ordered. _

_ Severus had hesitated to comply, but the sight of Tobias reaching for something to beat him with had set him to the task. He'd unbuttoned and stripped the way Tobias had shown him how to, his face and neck red with embarrassment. _

_ "Get on all fours and crawl over here," Tobias called out lewdly. _

_ And he'd done it, eyes hot and pricking with tears as he made his way over. His knees complained every time they hit the carpet, but he'd kept going. _

_ Eventually he was there, on all fours in front of Tobias, head hung in shame. _

_ "Look up at me boy." _

_ Tobias was ready for him, collar in hand and just as stark as he was. He'd leaned over and closed it around Severus' neck. _

_ "You're mine boy, and don't you forget it." _

_ Hot breath in his ear. _

_ Things to forget. Things to forget. _

_ Knees behind his. _

_ Things to forget. _

_ The keening scream that forced its way from between his lips. _

_ Things to forget. Things to forget. _

Severus shook himself out of the memory. The collar was still clutched in his hand, his knuckles white. He wanted, so badly, to be free of the stupid chains and stupid collar and that stupid father of his. His face contorted in pain and he lashed out, kicking against the side of the bed.

He was only six. He couldn't run away. Six year olds didn't run away. So instead, he resigned himself to household duties, trudging downstairs to get started on the cleaning.

There was a small gust of wind in the room shortly after Severus left. When he returned that night, he couldn't remember the bed ever having been that comfortable.

**~x~x~**

Severus' days continued much like that, with very little deviation. His father went to work for some odd construction company or another, leaving Severus about 10 hours to do all the house chores. When Tobias came home, Severus serviced him as needed, and Tobias would give him a beating if he cried. Then Tobias would pass out drunk, leaving Severus to take care of himself.

As the days passed, Severus curled in on himself, plotting and planning an escape. He just had to hope he'd have the energy for it. His skin had started to stretch thin, and his cheeks and eyes had begun sinking in. He was easier to startle, prone to jumping and yelping at the slightest thing. He was hyper alert, everything catching his notice and scaring him.

Tobias slowly worked to make Severus more obedient, showing him exactly how far his displeasure could go. He still had the scars to remind him that, for now, Tobias was to be kept happy.

It took nearly a year for anything to change.

**~April 1987~**

17 Spinner's End, Cokeworth, England was an even more unpleasant place than it had been in the year prior. Their neighbours had long since moved on, eerie wails in the night playing on old superstitions. The people moved on, their houses left to continue on in disrepair.

17 Spinner's End needed its fair share of work, too, despite having kept its residents. It was dingy and the shutters were falling off. The yard was long and overgrown, with weeds running rampant, but that was exactly what the small seven year old - the one currently hiding between the weeds and the kitchen wall - needed.

Severus was struggling to put his shoes on without shaking the chains too much. He knew his dad was looking for him - could hear Tobias rummaging through all of his old hidey holes. Tobias wouldn't find him in a single one of them, though. Not once this  _ bloody _ trainer got on his foot. A smile lit up his face for the first time in ages as his foot slipped into the too-small trainer. He didn't even wait to tie it. He just tore through the yard, straight ahead, as if the hounds of hell would soon be on his trail. It was a close enough analogy.

He heard Tobias run out the front door. He was yelling after him, threatening him, stumbling down the old back stoop. But he wasn't coming back.

He would _ never _ come back.

**~x~x~**

Severus' malnourished and underfed feet managed to get him about 3 miles away from home before they tripped him up. He went flying face first into the patch of grass that marked the entrance of a park, skidding across it. He knew the grass would be stained into his black tee and his jeans, but he didn't much care right now. He was away from his father. He still had that blasted collar on and those stupid chains, but they lost all of their meaning without Tobias and his threats.

He got to his feet shakily, stumbling as he stood. Looking around, he knew no one would be here. It was well after dark now, and the park was illuminated by lamp posts.

Severus wasn't ready for how weak his body was. His hands were shaking and his knees trembled as he tried to walk. It was one long, wobbling step after another after another, just trying to get into the park. He was tired, exhausted, and starved. Running away, while letting him escape, did not do much to remedy that particular problem. Tobias and his bloody cheap arse, telling him that he couldn't afford to waste food on an ungrateful whelp like Severus.

_ Tobias. _

Thinking about him made bile rise up in Severus' throat. He held it back in desperation, and he succeeded until he hit the treeline that separated that park from nearby housing. The force of it had him doubled over, hands clinging to his turbulent stomach and stinging throat.. His eyes burned with non-existent tears as he heaved and heaved until he had nothing more to give.

Severus nearly collapsed then and there, his body ready to give in to the months of abuse and malnourishment.

_ One more day _ , he told himself.  _ Just one more blasted day. _

He managed, with the last of his energy, to drag himself to a different tree, away from the bile. He fell over in a heap when he reached it, curling up as sleep took him.

**~x~x~**

_ Silver. _

_ Jingling, jangling, clanking. _

_ Heavy and cold. _

_ Burning him with welded on links. _

_ A collar. _

_ Hands exploring with gross familiarity. _

_ Revulsion. _

_ Whiskey laden breath. _

_ Forget. _ Forget.  **FORGET.**

**~x~x~**

"Tuney, Tuney, look! I found a boy!"

_ What? _

"Lily, he's dirty! Get away!"

_ Who? _

"But Tuney! He looks hurt!"

"That's none of our business, Lily, now get away!"

"Tuney, why's he wearing a collar?"

_ Why is that voice closer…? _

"A coll-?"

_ Ahhh… silence again. _

"Lily, go run and get mum. Now!"

And Severus woke up just long enough to dry heave all over Petunia Evans’ shoes.

**~x~x~**

_ Warm. _

That was the first thing Severus could think of. Blessed God, he was warm. Uncomfortable, sure, but still warm.

Discomfort turned into pain soon enough, though. It didn't take him long to realise that he was being carried, and that every step was jolting every injury he had. A hiss of pain escaped him when he started trying to wiggle out of the stranger's arms.

"Calm down now, son. You gave my Tuney and Lily a right fright, you know."

Severus noted that the breath had a distinct lack of alcohol. Couldn't be Tobias, then. Actually… the arms around him smelled rather pleasant. Like pine trees and leather. That voice was nice, too. It was low and rich. It sounded the way he thought home was supposed to feel. He almost didn't notice the arms tighten against his struggling.

Severus gave up struggling to try to look around, only to realise that his entire world was out of focus, and he couldn't quite get up the energy to focus on the man carrying him, or the hand holding his a little too tightly.

**~x~x~**

Severus woke up screaming, a nightmare still fresh behind his eyes. Every inch of him ached; His stomach felt like it was being pulled into his spine, and his head hurt something awful.

There was noise to the side of him, almost inaudible compared to his screaming.

And then, a soothing hand against his forehead. A gentle voice. "There, there. It's okay. You're safe now."

Severus' eyes shot open, instantly taken with the woman hovering over him.

She smelled like roses, he realised, and it was weirdly... comforting.

She looked nice enough. Her hair was a warm, almost golden shade of brown, tied up in a loose braid that seemed to suit her rather well. Her eyes were kind, so unlike his own mother's. They were the most stunning shade of green he'd ever seen, and they were overflowing with love and pain and confusion. She looked how he imagined a mother should.

Behind her, he could see that the wall was not his own peeling, faded wallpaper. Instead, the walls were painted a warm sage, and he could see that the furniture was all oak. Probably expensive, and definitely the kind of thing Tobias would never buy.  _ He'd _ rather squander it all away on drink, instead of buying them food.  _ He _ definitely wouldn't try and make a room look comfortable. If it was usable, well, that was good enough for him.

A scowl settled on his face. That bloody _ fucker _ Tobias. He could see the woman's lips purse in worry, but he couldn't stop the loathing that boiled up from deep within him. Severus didn't even notice when she got up and left, the door closing with a soft click.

**~x~x~**

"What are we going to do, Harry?" she worried, wringing her hands together. Her little family was gathered in the hall outside the guest room. The boy's screaming had woken them all up. "I don't know what he was thinking about, but I've never seen a child look like that. Harry, he can't be more than 5 by the size of him. He's smaller than Lily is, and he's got enough hate in him to drown a horse." Her voice was soft but riddled with anxiety.

Her husband, Harry, just placed a hand on her shoulder with intimate familiarity. "I don't know, but he looks rough. We'll have to let him warm up to us, Rose." His own voice was much richer than Rose's, but it was brimming with pain and conflict. He hated to see children suffering. It hurt his heart so much. There wasn't anything they could do for him, though, not until he decided it was time to talk to them, so he just ushered Rose and their children back to bed. No point in standing around a door before even the birds were awake.

The whole way back to her room, Lily kept throwing worried glances at the door she knew he was behind. She hoped he would be okay.

**~x~x~**

Severus woke up to gentle green light and soft singing. He jolted up, scanning the room quickly. There was a girl sitting in an oak rocker underneath the window across from his bed, but that was it. His shoulders slumped forward in relief. No Tobias.

"Oh you're up!" she exclaimed.

"Shhhh," he managed to whimper out. There were sharp pains all over his head.

"Sorry," she squeaked, and Severus finally got a good look at her. She had dark red hair that blazed like fire with the light behind her, and freckles all across her nose, and eyes just like the lady's.

_ Must be her mum. _

"S’kay," he said, waving off her apology. A pang in his stomach gave him pause, and he would have ignored it if it hadn't been accompanied by the loudest rumble his stomach had ever made. His ears grew hot, and he knew his face was flush with embarrassment.

She just smiled, a warm look like her mother's own, before standing and heading to the door. "Do you like chicken or tomato soup better?"

He eyed her speculatively before giving her a hesitant "chicken."

"Alright! I'll be right back up, yeah?" And with that she was up and out, leaving Severus on his own in the room.

He pulled himself up so he was sitting fully, and looked around. He could see that he was right about the furniture - it was all oak, complementing the sage paint rather well. The window across from him was right in front of a large tree, letting blotches of green sunlight filter into the room. He was rather taken with it, and the nice creamy, cotton sheets he was sat on. The comforter was the darkest thing in the room, and even that wasn't very dark. No, it was just a very rich golden brown. He decided very quickly that he liked this room, and he couldn't wait to get his feet into the squishy looking carpet.

A few minutes later, the girl was back, with a whole group of people cramming their way into the doorway. 

He didn’t flinch. At least, he told himself he didn’t.

The girl from earlier took her spot in the rocker by the window, and an older looking girl leaned against the wall next to her. There was a stern man who simply nodded at Severus and took a seat at the foot of his bed. Finally, the lady he'd seen earlier came in carrying a tray with a bowl of chicken soup, some toast, and a pitcher of water. She set it down across his lap before taking a spot on the bed next to him.

Severus found himself fidgeting in discomfort. He wasn't used to being around this many people anymore. It took a bit of staring at his lap and fidgeting for anyone to realise what was going on.

"Any reason you're just staring at your food, there?" the man asked, and Severus recognised that voice. It had carried him before.

"No, sir," he mumbled quickly, head down.

"Well, why aren't you eating yet?"

_ Because I don’t need to eat. Bad boys don’t get food. Runaways and whelps have no right to the food of others. _

“Just a little shy,” he mumbled again, head still down.

"Well, we could leave you with just Rose. Would that work?" came from the man.

"Just Rose?" Severus looked up through his lashes, confusion etching itself in the middle of his brow.

"Well, it'd make me feel better if one of us could stay here with you to make sure you're alright." Severus nodded. "Well then, I should introduce us. I'm Harry, and that there little fiery beast under the window is Lily, and that lovely lady next to her is Petunia. The beauty sitting next to you there is Rose, if she hasn't told you her name yet."

Severus nodded a quick hello to them all before giving them his name under his breath.

"What was that?" Petunia piped up.

"It's Severus. Severus Tobias Snape.” He didn’t see why they  _ really _ needed his name. He would pay them back for the food, working around the house if he needed to, and that’d be it. 

"Very nice to meet you!" Rose told him, a breathtaking grin stretching across her cheeks.

There was a "Nice ta meetcha, Sev!" from Lily, with her sister giving him a simple "Hullo."

And that was that. Harry walked out, Petunia following him while Lily skipped right on out of the room. Rose was left as if by some unspoken decision.

She patted the bed before she got up, leaving Severus and his tray of soup for the newly emptied rocker. "I'll be here if you need me."

He let the reassurance wash over him, trying not to bask in it. He couldn’t stay with them too long. They shouldn’t want this kind of stain in their house.

**~x~x~**

Down in the kitchen, Harry was having a conversation he'd never wanted to have with his youngest daughter.

"Daddy, why's Sev wearin' a collar? An' why's he got on chains? Why's his clothes so ripped? Don't his parents get him new clothes? D'ya think  _ they _ put the chains on him?"

Harry just chuckled softly, picking her up and setting her on his lap. It was time to tell her a few things she wouldn't want to hear.

"Well, Lils," he started, getting himself settled. "We don't really know much about Mr. Snape, but we can probably guess some things. Like that his parents can't buy him new clothes very often. They probably aren't very nice to him, either, Lils." He made sure she was facing him when he said that, trying to make sure she understood how serious he was.

"But parents gotta be nice to their kids, daddy. That's how parents do stuff," she answered with painful innocence.

_ God _ , he didn't want to have this conversation.

"Not all parents are nice to their kids, Lils. Sometimes, parents can be real mean, and they do bad things to their kids. It's always different. You know how bullies in school treat people?" She nodded. "Well, parents can be liked that. They might say real mean things, or they might make them do things they don't want to do. They can make the kid think that they're a bad kid when they've done nothing wrong." Lily looked like she was following him, so he barged straight into the heart of the matter. "And sometimes, parents do evil things, Lily. Sometimes parents are very bad people, and they hurt their children. Maybe the starve them, or hit them, and some parents… some parents do very, very wrong things to their kids. And all of this is called abuse, Lily."

And now he could tell he'd lost her. "But why would a parent hurt their kid, daddy? Parents are s'posed to love their kids, daddy."

Harry just shook his head. "Not all parents do, Lily. Some parents never wanted to have kids, and they say that kids ruined their lives. Some parents are angry, and sometimes there's not a reason, Lily. Sometimes they're just very mean, bad people."

Lily just stared up at him, tears welling in her eyes. “But Sev seems real nice, Daddy. Why would a mum an’ dad be so mean like that? Why don’t they like Sev, Daddy?”

“I don’t know, Lily-flower, I don’t know…”

**~x~x~**

If anyone had bothered to ask, Severus would have never hesitated to say that the food he'd just eaten was the best he'd ever had. The soup was a nice, simple chicken broth that warmed him from the inside out, and the toast filled him up pretty quick. It didn't take long for his stomach to stop complaining at him. It traded off with something else, though.

He looked up at Rose with wide eyes. "Miss, may I use the loo?" he asked urgently. He  _ really  _ had to go.

Rose nodded, and he was out of bed like a rocket. "Second door on the right!" she called after him.

Severus shouted back a quick thanks that was punctuated by the bathroom door closing.

**~x~x~**

The next few weeks for the Evans family involved a great number of appointments and phone calls.

The NSPCC had been called and met with first. The meeting had been a bit terse, with Sev constantly flinching and hiding. He was also reluctant to open up about his past with the Evans family in the room. Eventually he had been convinced to show just Harry and one social worker. Harry had walked out with quiet tears, simply shaking his head when his family asked what was wrong. The social worker had removed Sev's chains - previously left on to prevent potentially disrupting evidence - and told them to call a lawyer and prepare a case. He carefully packed away his camera and notes and left, the chains clinking softly in the evidence bags.

Next had been the lawyer, a nice enough looking lady who had taken to Severus like a duck takes to water. She doted on him whenever he was present for meetings, and he would always duck away, not keen on having someone pay so much attention paid to him. The lawyer decided that using testimony from both the social worker and a very specific doctor she was close with would be their best bet. This would give them concrete and irrefutable evidence, ensuring a win.

The doctor was the last of the series of appointments that Sev had to worry about before the actual court cases begun. She was a kind, older lady - soft spoken with happy eyes, and gentle as could be with Severus. She explained, very thoroughly, what every single examination was and why they were doing it. She told him that they had to be very thorough and make sure to document everything, and he had to make sure to tell her the full truth. And he did. Harry had taken him to the appointment, and held his hand the entire time. He took to whispering reassurances to Sev whenever he tensed or started getting anxious. Sev was rather grateful for this, but he had to look away whenever tears started to rise in Harry's eyes.

Sev warmed up to the Evans family in his own sort of way. He flinched when anyone touched him, and he jumped whenever someone entered his room. For reasons that were easily guessed, he often refused to use his bed, sleeping on the floor instead. He adamantly refused food and care, and… Well. It was a process.

In that process, though, Sev learned more about the family. He learned that Rose was a gardener, and Harry owned a small artisan carpentry business the next town over. Petunia was an aspiring ballerina, though she barely ever danced around him. Lily wanted to be a doctor - not a nurse, a real doctor, she'd said. When Severus asked her why she had to make the distinction, her face screwed up something ugly and she muttered 'Grandma Ifans' like a curse before storming off.

It didn't take long for him to worm his way into the family, but he was still holding back, as if he was afraid that attaching himself to them would only bring him greater pain.

He still had regular nightmares and was easy to startle, prone to panic attacks, and couldn't stand to be around more than a few people at a time, but he was managing in his own way.

**~1988~**

Severus was officially an Evans. 

Their first legal battle hadn’t even happened. Tobias Snape hadn't gone and drank himself to death shortly after the initial accusation, and the body of Eileen Prince had been found in a shallow grave at 17 Spinner's End. Since their was no longer a guilty party, the case was null and void.

Afterward, when the issue of where Severus would go came up, Rose and Harry had put up one hell of a fight to keep him . Custody of Severus was won rather quickly, and he was welcomed as an official member of the Evans family with open arms.

That had been months ago, overlapping with his and Lily's birthdays. It hadn't mattered to them, not really. Sev being family was more than enough present for either of them.

It hadn't always been the easiest thing. Severus still didn't like to be around too many people at once, but he and Lily had grown quite attached. Lily helped tutor Sev when she got home from school, and he would help her study in return. They became inseparable rather quickly.

Petunia had also taken quite well to the permanent addition that was Sev. As he had a less biased opinion, she would ask what he thought of certain dance moves put in a certain order to certain music. He was usually quite entranced at whatever little show Petunia put on for him, and had, in recent days, taken to asking her to show him how to do certain moves. She was more than happy to.

Rose and Harry loved Severus as if he had always been their own. Sure, he was stubborn, refusing gifts of most things, but it made sense to them. He'd been called a burden previously, why would he just start accepting them all in stride? And so they started giving him gifts of another kind. Whenever Sev was feeling down, Rose was there with an open ear and a mug of hot cocoa. If he accidentally hurt himself or needed some reassurance, Rose was there to help. Harry soothed Sev's nightmares every night, comforting him until he could finally sleep again. Harry was Sev's go-to when he had a problem or didn't understand anything, or when he really just needed silent company.

They made sure Severus was treated just as the girls were, in everything from bedtimes and playtimes, what he could and couldn't eat, and rinsing his mouth out with some awful licorice concoction whenever his potty mouth got away from him. That one was okay, though, because Lily got in trouble for it just as often as he did.

And maybe he was still jumpy and nervous, and maybe he had more problems than could be counted, but that was okay. They took it all in stride, adjusting as necessary.

Severus didn't think a better family had ever existed.

**~x~x~**

Early June found Sev and Rose in a large department store, cart stacked high with every single clothing item Sev could possibly ever need. Just looking at them made him groan. He didn't see the need for a new wardrobe; His hand-me-downs were perfectly fine when Rose resized them, and he already had the few things that they had already insisted on buying more of. He didn't  _ need _ more clothes.

Rose had stuck firm, though, insisting that he was one of her children, and as such all of his things would be equal to Lily and Petunia's. Lily and Petunia, who had quite the vast array of clothes, for any number of occasions one might come up with, which meant he would be getting his own wardrobe of equal proportions.

He was going to have new trainers, boots, a pair of thongs, more types of shirts than he cared to count, trousers and shorts and pants and slacks and anything else they could come up with to add.

The only problem, one Severus was quite vocal about, was that nearly all of the colors either made him look paler than he already was, or incredibly yellow.

Rose gave him a soft smile, which he returned in the form of a pout.

"We can always dye them if you'd like, Sev," she told him.

_ Dye? Oh, oh definitely not _ . He shook his head. "It's okay. They're just clothes."

His distaste at the thought of dying all of his clothes must have been obvious, because Rose shot a rueful grin his way.

**.**

Severus and Rose came back home to find all the clothes had gone dark - blacks, blues, greens, and purples galore.

While Severus had been confused, Rose had just shaken her head. "Oh, you, too?"

Severus started, swearing up and down that he'd done nothing.

"Oh, I don't think you did it on purpose, Sev, but you did do something," she chuckled. "We'll have to tell Lily, of course, she'll be glad to have someone around who understands."

Severus just stared at her. "Understands?"

"Oh, yes. Lily does this kind of stuff all the time."

"But… doesn't that mean she's a freak?" he asked tentatively.

"Sev!" Rose exclaimed. "Of course she's not a freak, and neither are you! I'll get you to understand that one some day, I swear I will. You two can just do things we can't." She settled down onto her knees to look at him. "Severus Evans, you never have been, and never will be, a freak. You have a very wonderful gift, Sev. Never be ashamed of it," she told him softly. " _ Never, ever. _ "

Severus looked like Christmas had come early. His mum was telling him that he wasn’t a freak.

_ He wasn’t a freak. _


	2. Hambledon Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picking up right where we left off, and we're getting a bit of a glimpse of where Severus is mentally right now. Lily says some things, and Severus discovers that maybe he really does have a mum.  
> This chapter has been edited, so far the least of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter briefly goes over some of Severus' abuse, and I'm so so sorry about it. I hate writing about it, but it's there and I can't just let it be some big pink elephant in the room. So, it's there, and ever so briefly glossed over. This should be one of the last times it's mentions, though! Which, for only two chapters, is pretty nice.  
> Anyways, please enjoy!

Hambledon Road was a rather nice little street, right on the river and an easy walk east of Spinner's End. It was a developing area, and still considered new. There weren't too many families living there yet, but every single one of them could tell you about the Evans family who lived in number 10. There was Rose and Harry, and their two daughters, Petunia and Lily. They had moved in at the beginning of 1985, and were very happy where they were. Rose kept her lawn and garden looking wonderful, and Harry worked Monday through Friday as carpenter. They both thought the world of their children.

Harrison Evans was a stern looking man, with a gruff face and deep set lines, though he was only in his 30s. He was big and broad, with short, flaming red hair and brown eyes that sparkled with hidden laughter. Despite his looks, he was a very kind and gentle man. He was soft spoken and generous. He always had time for his family, and would never hesitate to lend a helping hand. It was hard to say a word against the man.

Rose Evans had a thumb greener than emeralds, and almost as green as her eyes. She was much shorter than her husband, but they set each other off nicely. She had warm, golden brown hair that always seemed to shine. She was youthful and gentle looking, with a firecracker temper. Aunt Rose to every child she ever met, and she somehow always had sweets on her. Everyone knew she was fiercely protective of her family.

Their oldest daughter, Petunia, was tall and lean. She had her mother's hair and her father's eyes, but neither of their talents. She was quite graceful, to be honest, and it should be expected. The first thing she would let you know was that one day she was going to be a ballerina, and her face would set in determination, like she knew this was the ultimate truth. She a focused and dedicated girl, quite smart, with a heart a mile wide.

Lily, the youngest of the Evans family, was a feisty little wild child. Her red hair burned brighter than her father's, and her eyes were just as green as her mother's. She was a free spirit, and a bit of a child vigilante. She was brave and fearless, with a sense of right and wrong stronger than her little fists. Her temper was shorter than her mother's, but when she smiled it melted your heart. It was impossible not to love Lily Evans.

And then, in 1987, the Evans family gained a new member: Severus Snape. The Evans' had taken him in after he had run away from an abusive father. Everyone knew that from the news, though. What you wouldn't know was that he took the family's name in 1988.

Severus Evans was the perfect gentleman. He was kind and just, courteous and fair to all he met. Wise beyond his years, he was. Never picked fights, but he was quite capable of finishing one without lifting a finger. He was a bit of a child genius, but he wouldn't lord it over anyone. He believed there was something to learn from everyone and everything, and endeavoured to do so. He was a misfit in the family, looks wise, with thick, black hair that was always long, and eyes just as black as his hair. They never seemed dark, though. They were always warm and full of life.

All in all, the Evans family of number 10 Hambledon Road was nothing short of the perfect family.

**~x~x~**

**~1988~**

Severus was so happy and light that he literally floated up the stairs. He couldn't help himself. Rose had erased any fear he'd had of being unwanted or a freak. Rose and Harry wanted him. It didn't matter to them that he could do magic. It was just another thing about him to remember, and it was something he had in common with Lily. He was a laughing, floating mess as he passed Petunia on his way to put the new clothes away. He knew she had probably rolled her eyes at him, but it didn't matter to him. He was just so happy.

He kept floating while he put away his new wardrobe, which consisted of more clothes than he had ever believed he could own. He had enough that everything had to have a separate drawer. They'd saved up and gotten him five dress shirts, six different jumpers, a nice peacoat, twenty tees, ten long sleeved shirts, five pairs of trousers, a whole load of pants and socks, a pair of slacks, three pairs of shorts, two pairs of boots, thongs, and new trainers. He flitted about his room, excitement bubbling forth with every new thing he confirmed was his.

He was just getting to the tees when Lily barged in, shocking him onto his feet. She never barged into his room before.

He didn't have time for that thought, though, because Lily was speaking at him in some unintelligible rush.

"Lils, Lils, shut up for a minute, I can't understand you when you talk like that."

She finally stopped throwing up her string of words, taking a breath. "MomsaidyoucandothingstooandIwasgonnacomeaskyouandthenyouwerefloatinganditwassocool," she said, still mashing her words together. At least this time he got the gist of it.

"Yep, my old mum was a witch, and she told me that I'm a wizard," he said matter-of-factly.

Lily stared in amazement. "Does that mean I'm a witch, Sev?"

He couldn't help but smile at the way she was lit up right now. It was better than the Christmas tree they'd had up last year. Granted, he couldn't enjoy it much because of the trial, but he'd known it was breathtaking. His sister right now was even more so.

Severus nodded. "That you are, Lils."

"Can you tell me more about being a witch, Sev?"

The words stopped him in his tracks. The only witch he'd ever known was… her. Memories he'd tried to bury came rushing to the service. No. Lily was nothing like her. Nothing.

"Go away, Lily." Severus' voice was thin and terse. It shouldn't have bothered him, he knew it shouldn't have, but... He didn't want to think about this right now. He couldn't. Wouldn't.

Lily was staring at him like he'd just grown horns out of his head, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. Everything that he'd ever learnt about magic he'd learnt from _her._

"Sev, wha-."

"I said _go away_ , Lily!" he shouted at her. Tears were starting to sting his eyes, but he held them back.

"Sev, what are you going on about?"

"Will you just leave me alone?!" he screamed.

Lily's eyes held fire instead of anger, though, and it was the last thing he saw before tears clouded his vision. He knew Lily had stormed out, slamming his door hard enough to rattle the frame.

"Fine then, you bloody **prat**!" Lily screamed from down the hall, before she stomped her way downstairs.

 _Probably to tell Rose that she doesn't want me to be here anymore…_ Uncontrolled bitterness swam through his thoughts, drowning out all of the happiness he'd felt earlier that day. _They don't want a prat living with them. Why should they? They've got two perfect daughters, and I'm just…_ He was on the floor, choking out sobs. He wrapped his arms around his knees and pulled them close, so he was hugging them to his chest. Rocking back and forth, Severus let himself wallow in self-pity. _They won't want me when Lily tells them I'm a stupid prat. Why would they want someone who isn't nice to their daughters? 'Specially when I'm just some freak kid they found in the park._

Part of him couldn't believe his thoughts, but another part - small and hidden away in the back of his mind - told him that what his father had said was true. He was a snivelling, screw up of a son who would never amount to anything. He was worthless, always messing up everything. How could anyone even _like_ someone like that?

And Severus couldn't help but agree.

**~x~x~**

Lily was fuming as she descended the stairs, anger and confusion clinging to her like static. All she had done was ask Severus about magic and being a witch and he'd just… shut her out! He wouldn't even tell her what was wrong! He'd just shouted at her to leave!

"Stupid prat! Rude, annoying, greasy prat!" she shouted, every word punctuated with a loud stomp down the stairs. "Rotten, wizardy, magic, little bloody WANKER!" Her face was as red as her hair by the time she hit the corner landing of the stairs, and it only took one look down for all of that red to completely eradicate itself.

Her mum was standing at the very bottom step, with a Medusa worthy look set in place. Her arms were crossed tight across her chest, and her foot was tapping in a slow rhythm that Lily could have sworn was a mockery of the funeral dirge.

There was a lump stuck in her throat. Words couldn't find themselves around it, but her dread seemed to sink right through - straight down into the pit of her stomach, where it stayed and knotted itself until she was sure she would be sick.

The two stood there for a good, long while, and neither moved. It was weird, Lily thought, that she was the one looking down on her mother, but she had never felt so small in her entire life.

**.**

"Lily Heather Evans." Rose's voice held an edge cold and sharp as steel. From where she stood she could see her daughter pale and her throat bob, struggling to swallow.

"Yes, mum?"

"Table," she said simply, stepping aside. Lily stood, frozen in place at the small landing. "Now!" she snapped, and the terrified eight year old shot down the stairs, scurrying off to the dining room table. It took Rose a moment to gain some semblance of composure before she followed after her. This conversation wasn't one she had thought she would really need to have.

**.**

The wallpaper was starting to peel up at the edge of the wainscoting, Lily noticed. Dad would probably glue it down whenever he noticed it. If Petunia saw it, that would be sooner rather than later. Oh, and it looked like the corner of the ceiling over there had quite a fascinating water stain…

Lily knew she was delaying the inevitable, but she couldn't help it. Her mum was in a right mood, and it was because of what she had said coming down the stairs. She didn't really have a right to be mad at Severus, but she still was. It had been wrong to yell at him. Granted, he was a prat first, but she'd just wanted to help! What was wrong with that? Well… nothing. It was storming off and yelling about how much of a great brig prat he was that had done her in. And she was still putting off the fact that her mum was sitting across from her at the table.

Stupid table. It was where all Important Discussions happened. Anything about school or family or things like abuse and whatnot all came by way of the dining room table, and right now Lily really hated that table, even though there was a really weird scrape over on the far corner. She was positive that that one in particular was Petunia's fault…

Lily glanced up cautiously at the other side of the table, where her mum was staring her down. A long list of typical eight year old expletives (mostly consisting of some form of poo, turd, hell, and/or bloody) streamed through her mind. Her mum was _not_ happy, and ignoring her was not doing her any good.

And so, like the good little firecracker she was, she put her head up and adorned it with her best - though still rather bad - attempt a brave face. She would take her punishment head on. Or, well, at least try to. The look her mum was giving her enough was scary enough to cow a rampaging grizzly.

**.**

Rose did not have any particular amount of spare patience on her to add to the little she already had, and that did not mean good things for her youngest daughter. The one who was sat right across from her, doing everything she could to avoid meeting her mum's eyes. Rose was not amused. She had no idea what had transpired earlier, but she had more than enough hearing to hear Lily's shrieking about Severus, and it had made her livid - mostly on the principle that Severus was a _good_ boy.

Strangely good.

It was something she and Harry had seen as a curse disguised as a blessing; Severus was not a troublemaker by any means. He couldn't lie, not even a lie by omission. He refused outright disobedience and did every single thing he was told to in a much more than timely manner. It was unnerving. He didn't even leave his things out and about in random places, much like Lily and Petunia were prone to. Honestly, even Harry and herself would leave an odd thing or two out of place. But Severus just wouldn't. He didn't speak out of turn or protest anything that he was told. It was like he was terrified of anything that could be seen as disobedience.

And it was that very thing that let her know something big had happened. Severus didn't have it in him to do anything "prat" worthy. She didn't approve of Lily screaming names at him in the first place, but that was a whole other matter. She still needed to know what on earth could have made Lily start yelling that he was a prat.

With that in mind, she levelled her eyes at Lily.

And waited.

It took a good while for Lily to look up at her, even if it was just a quick peek up through her eyelashes. Rose kept her glare up. Eventually, Lily tossed her head up, hair sliding over her shoulder.

Rose knew that face. Eyes, hard set in determination, with her jaw stuck forward. It was her best shot at a brave face. However, anyone could tell it was faked. It was written there in the way her jaw wobbled ever so slightly, and the way her eyes wouldn't make direct contact. It was a face that wouldn't make it very far through this conversation.

She gave it another second before she finally started talking. "Lily Heather Evans."

**.**

"Lily Heather Evans."

Lily's breath caught in her throat. The Talk was starting, and she'd rather it didn't. The waiting seemed like such an attractive option now. But it wasn't exactly like she had a choice. _Better get this over with…_

"Yes, mum?"

"What exactly happened just now?" The tick in her mum's jaw was rather visible.

"Yelling, ma'am." Formality and truth really did seem like good options right now. They were likely to appease her mum's anger. However… She didn't necessarily want to give away that it was rather largely her fault.

It didn't seem like her mum was in the mood for that, though. Not with the way she crossed her arms and settled into her chair, eyes drilling through Lily's resolve. "Oh? And might I ask what about?"

"Yes, ma'am." _Oh, God,_ that cheek would be her death, she just knew it.

Her mum's eyes hardened like stone. Most definitely not amused.

"I was yelling about Severus, ma'am. I didn't like something he did." The second sentence was added more as an afterthought than anything, but it was still there.

"Which was…?" her mum encouraged her. Dawdling wasn't doing her any favours, Lily knew that much, but she still wasn't quite eager to throw herself under the bus.

"Well, I went to talk to him about him being magic like you said, and it was going pretty good until I asked him 'bout being a witch, and he just froze up! He'd said his birth mum was a witch and I asked if he could tell me more 'bout being one, and he just froze up! Got all tense and stuff and told me to get out!" Her voice rose bit by a bit as she went on, her frustration with the situation coming to light. "I tried to get him to talk but he wouldn't. He snapped at me to get out so I did and I was real mad about it so I started yelling that he was being a prat." She looked down sheepishly. There it all was. All the bare facts. Which… well, it didn't really paint her in the prettiest of lights.

**.**

Rose really could have just dropped her head to the table in all of her frustration, she really could have. But she didn't. Mostly because she was certain that her daughter was well aware of how wrong she was. Whether she knew exactly why was another question altogether. One she was planning on getting an answer to rather soon.

"Lily," she started with a heavy sigh, "I'm gonna go ahead and assume you know you were wrong. No point in denying it." She'd seen the quick intake of air that gave away her daughter's intentions and nipped them right in the bud. She didn't quite fancy an argument right that second. "So, do you know _what_ you did wrong?"

"He- He said he didn't want to talk about it," she said simply, leaving a great pause before she continued. "It was wrong of me to push the subject when he'd said he didn't want to talk about it. I should have let it be."

Rose nodded. "Anything else?"

Lily sighed heavily. "I shouldn't have called him a prat. Or a wanker."

Rose nodded once again. Now for the harder part. "Lily, can you think of why Sev could possibly not want to talk about it?"

Her daughter's only answer was a shrug.

"Lily, you remember about Sev's dad, right?"

Fire flared in her daughter's eyes. She definitely remembered.

"And you know that they found his mum dead, right?" _God,_ this was weird to talk about. She doubted Lily would truly grasp the enormity of any of this if her and Harry hadn't raised their daughters the way they had. Understanding things about some of the different walks of life was something they'd really wanted their children to do. She was glad for it at the moment.

Lily nodded slowly. "His mum was a witch, Lily. He told you that?" Another nod. "She might have been a witch, Lily, but she didn't do anything to help him. I was there when the detectives asked Severus about her. She let Severus take it all so that her husband wouldn't hit her." Rose sighed. _God,_ this was hard to talk about. "She wasn't a good mother, Lily, you need to understand this. I- I think Severus understands this, but there were times… Sometimes we weren't so sure."

And now Lily was starting to look confused.

"He- Sev- There were times-," Rose started and stopped. She wasn't really sure how to put this, mostly because she only had an outside perspective here. "Sometimes, in the interviews, Sev looked… He looked like he didn't understand _why_. Can you understand that, Lily?" Lily gave her head a tentative shake. "It- I think that there were times when Severus though that his mum was coming for him. That maybe, just maybe, she would help him, and that that time would be the last." A deep furrow wormed her way into her forehead as she tried to think of how to put this bluntly. "It was like he both knew and didn't know that his mum wasn't going to save him, and either way he was really hoping she would. And now, now that he knows she didn't and there's no way to know if she would… It probably left some conflicting thoughts in his head. He doesn't talk about her," she huffed. "I doubt he ever really will. We have no idea what their relationship was like, or if it was better with his dad gone. He probably won't want to ever tell us, I imagine. But, either way, Lily. His mum was the only witch he knew, and she left some pretty deep scars for Severus to deal with. I would hazard a guess that that's why he froze up on you. He probably isn't really ready to talk or think about her, Lily." And with that, Rose sat there, forehead creased, eyebrows knitted together, and her mouth turned down. It was a look that made her seem marginally older.

**.**

Lily sat still in her seat, looking off into some distant place, tiny little brows pushed together as she tried to take in everything her mum had just told her. Sev's mum had never helped him. She hadn't tried to save him, or take him away, or make it better. A flame of indignance sparked within her. _How dare she? How dare she leave Severus to that?_ There was unadulterated rage in her veins. She was _mad_. How dare she call herself Sev's mum? Didn't she know how great Sev was? He made amazing dinosaur noises and he didn't mind being Barbie when they played dolls, and if they played house he was just fine with being the mum, and he always wanted to help, and he always tried to smile and cheer others up and _didn't she know just how great Sev was_?

She didn't even wait to be dismissed from the table. Conversation over or not, she was done. She had made Sev upset, and she would bloody well fix it. "God I'm a bloody prat," she whispered to herself, not really caring that her mum was there and could hear her perfectly well. "Bloody damned witch doesn't know what she has…" and "How did I manage to muck that up?" and "I wish I could punch her bloody arse into garden pulp for Sev…" followed her and her flaming green eyes as they pushed away from the table. Her hair flared about her in heavy, teasing tugs of wind that no one could really see. The magic was practically coming off of her in waves as she stomped her way over to the stairs.

It was probably a good thing she was too distracted to hear Rose's chuckle.

It was probably _not_ a good thing that her magic was out of hand, as it was. If it hadn't been, it would have been much quieter, and someone might have noticed the loud surges of magic and wind and screaming that were ripped from the third door on the left.

**~x~x~**

Lily's rage lasted her up to right in front of Sev's door. With the death of her rage went her magic, leaving the upstairs hall eerily quiet. Until a second later, and a harsh, ragged scream tore itself free from the small gap under the door.

"Sev?!" Lily asked loudly - more so than really needed - but with panic hitting her harder than a tsunami wave, it was hard to keep quiet. "Sev! Sev, you there?" She brought her small hand up and smacked it against the door. "Sev?! Sev, please! I'm sorry, Sev!"

Wisps of wind were constantly flinging themselves out of the door where they could, and Lily couldn't help but think for a moment that it was a miracle the door was on its hinges at all. A moment of frustration overtook her and she lashed out at the door, kicking it. She had to admit that it wasn't her brightest idea as she hopped back, hissing in pain. Determination settled in place quickly after frustration, though, and Lily found herself right back at the door. She grabbed the door handle and tried to twist.

Nothing.

Lily huffed and tried again.

Still, nothing. The door was stuck firmly in place.

_Sev._

Panic surged through her again, and she made her way to the stairs, screaming for her mother to come and help.

**~x~x~**

Severus' room could well be classified a danger zone at the moment. Magic sizzled around the lone child, far fiercer than electricity or flame. Mixed with flurries of wind and ominous shrieking that seemingly came from nowhere, the room was more than a little frightening. The random bits of paper and junk that were flung about didn't do much to make the room more hospitable. Then again, this all only really mattered to the one boy in the room, the same one who was paying it all no mind.

Severus was curled up on the floor, right at the foot of his bed, with his knees pulled tight to his chest. His head was leaning against knobby knees. And he wasn't there. As far as Severus knew in that moment, he was just a child again, alone with his mum and his dad nowhere to be found. Those were always some of the best times in his life. His dad wasn't taking his anger out on him, and his mum… His mum was _there_ and smiling and happy, and they didn't need to worry.

**.**

_"This I must say, dilly, dilly, and it is true…"_

_Severus was small, much smaller than all the other toddlers, but that didn't matter much. Not here in the kitchen, with stocking feet sliding across the worn out blue and white tiles. His mum had his tiny fingers in hand, and they were swinging around happily. Her voice rang out clear as day in the small room:_

_"You must love me, dilly, dilly, 'cause I love you!_

_Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, lavender's blue,_

_When you are king, dilly, dilly-"_

_Severus' small, and mostly off key voice joined his mother's: "You shall be queen!"_

_Giggles quickly overtook him and he spun and wiggled around, Eileen leading their little dance while she continued to sing._

_"Send for your men, dilly, dilly, set them to hoe,_

_Set them to reap, dilly, dilly, set them to mow._

_Some to cut hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn,_

_While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm."_

**_._ **

_Eileen had just barely finished the stanza when the scene changed._

_Severus was a little older, not even five yet. He was lain in bed, his ribs throbbing something awful. There would be a bruise there, later, from where Tobias had kicked him and fractured his ribs. That didn't matter too much now. Tobias was passed out on the couch, and his mum had carried him up to bed after she had come out of hiding. She apologised profusely on the way up._

_"I'm so sorry, my baby Prince. Mummy is so so sorry, but I can't protect you like I want to."_

_Severus paid the words no mind. They were the same he could always remember. He could practically quote it._

_"If I get hurt, then who will protect you? Mummy has to stay safe for her baby Prince," to which he always replied "'m not a baby."_

_Eileen would just giggle and she held him gently in her arms, settling into bed with him. "Of course not. My baby Prince will be a dashing man soon enough."_

_He would fall asleep to the quietest of words._

_"Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green,_   
_When you are King, dilly dilly, I'll be your queen,_   
_Who told me so, dilly dilly, how can I know?_   
_I told myself, dilly dilly, love told me so…"_

**_._ **

_Severus was six, scooted as far into the corner as he could get. His father was too drunk to be bothered reaching between the couches to reach him well, but it wasn't for lack of trying. His fists occasionally caught Severus, making him cry out in pain. He couldn't help but wonder, like he did many a time before, why his mum didn't just help him._

_Why didn't they just get away?_

_Why? Why wouldn't she save him?_

_He had seen his mum do magic. He was magic, too!_

_So why couldn't she help him?_

_The question played on repeat as Severus fell prey to Tobias' belt. It had a far longer reach, and a bite that made Severus scream out whenever the buckle connected with him._

_He put his hands over his head and prayed for help._

_**.** _

_"When you're away, dilly dilly, work all day through,_   
_I'll be at home, dilly dilly, waiting for you._   
_Lavender's green, dilly dilly, Lavender's blue._   
_When you are king, dilly dilly, I'll be your queen._   
_While you're at work, dilly dilly, I'll brew your beer,_   
_When you come home, dilly dilly, I'll be your dear,_   
_I'll serve your meat, dilly dilly, I'll bake your bread,_   
_I'll share your board, dilly dilly, I'll make your bed."_

_Through the pounding of his head, Severus couldn't help but wish that voice would shut up, with the stupid promises it couldn't keep._

**_._ **

_"Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green,_   
_When you are King, dilly dilly, I'll be your queen,_   
_Who told me so, dilly dilly, how can I know?_   
_I told myself, dilly dilly, love told me so."_

_It was that day. That stupid, awful day. Tobias was still at work, and Eileen and Severus were doing their dance in the kitchen. They slid across the floor at random, spinning and singing without care. Until the call came._

_Eileen's eyes had hardened on him. "I can't keep this from him."_

_Severus just nodded. It was kind of odd. He wasn't really sure he remembered the melody to Lavender's Blue. He didn't think he wanted to._

**_._ **

Severus raised his head, staring dead at the wall in front of him. The sage green paint just stared right back, almost as if to dare him to blink. And he did, quite numbly, and still oblivious to the chaos going on around him. Some part of him vaguely knew that he was being ridiculous, and he ignored it resolutely. Another part registered the voice coming from his door. He ignored it, too.

There were tears staining his cheeks, he knew, and snot had crusted between his nose and his top lip. He couldn't bring himself to clean it off. There was something eating at the back of his mind - a memory that felt like it belonged to someone else. A foggy vision of mismatched socks sliding across faded tiles. And a song. He could have sworn there was a song, hidden between swirls and childish giggles.

_What is that song?_

He couldn't hear it. He tried, stocking feet changing in size and colour and type, but he could never hear what the woman was singing.

It struck him soon, enough though, hitting him as hard as green and orange socks could.

"Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green…"

The words were a dim, whispering reflection of his memories, and Severus found he couldn't bear them. He had hidden it away for a reason. But the words rose up again, and with them a terrified scream that threatened to rip away every breath Severus drew.

**~x~x~**

Harry was in the shop when he got the call. Rose was terrified. Something was wrong with Severus, she'd said. Something was very wrong. "There's an emergency at home!" he shouted over his shoulder, racing off to his truck.

He left a very confused crew of men behind.

**.**

Petunia had chosen today of all days to try and study in silence. No music or white noise. Just her, a desk, an English Literature book, and a very stern reminder from her instructor that her place on the stage depended heavily on her dedication to all things, not just her dance.

She had finally gotten settled and was well into her reading when a piercing shriek shook her concentration, replacing it with confusion.

_What in the bloody hell?_

She pushed herself back from her desk. She was out in the hall in time to all but see the magic forcing itself out of Severus' room.

_What the bloody hell?!_

She shot a glance at the stairs, where her mum was making her way up. Their eyes caught, and Rose shook her head ever so slightly. It was of no concern to Petunia. Not right now at least. If she really wanted to know, she could ask later.

She spun around, deciding that maybe music did make studying better.

**.**

Rose waited for Petunia to go back to her room to make her move. She checked to make sure Lily hadn't followed her up, and, satisfied, made her way to Severus' door. The sheer amount of raw energy, and the feelings she knew were behind it… Well, that was enough to scare a lot of people, really. Rose shook her head. She wouldn't let this affect her. Her son was on the other side of that door, and he needed her. Every instinct she had was screaming with the need to help him.

It was those instincts that had Rose sitting in front of the door, her knees set gently against the painted door. She had no idea how close or far he was, but she hoped, so dearly, that he was close enough to hear what she had to say.

**~x~x~**

Severus was vaguely aware that someone was speaking to him, but it was a bit muffled - as if there was a door between them.

_Wait…_

Between flashes of a song he partially remembered and socks and dresses that were never the same, it registered with Severus that there _was_ a voice, and it _was_ muffled by a door. It took all of the will he had to focus on the voice. He knew where it was. It was on the other side of his door. Which was… white. It was a painted white door. It opened out to the hall, just an inch over the thick beige carpet. Carpet that he could feel through his socks if he wiggled his toes. He knew that. He'd done it an inane amount of times. Which meant the vision wasn't real. 17 Spinner's End didn't have carpet, much less _beige_ carpet. But 10 Hambledon Road… 10 Hambledon Road had soft, thick beige carpet upstairs, and wood floors downstairs. There was no blue and white tile at 10 Hambledon Road. Which was good. It proved the vision couldn't be real. And if he wasn't at Spinner's End, then there was most definitely no one singing that damned song.

"...Severus, Severus please. I don't know if you can hear me" The woman was pleading. Severus found that quite odd. Why on earth would anyone plead with a little ragamuffin like _him_? They had to be confused. "Severus, I know. _I know_. Lily told me." No, not they. She. She was definitely confused.

"She told me that she brought up your mum, and she was pushing the subject… but… but she's not right, Severus! She didn't bring up your mum!"

Severus couldn't help but scoff. If his memories were settled right, he and Lily had most definitely mentioned his mother.

"I can't be for sure, Sev, you'll have to tell me, but I don't think she was your mum. Well, maybe in the proper sense she was…" The voice that Severus could now solidly identify as Rose's trailed off, and he sat waiting. He wanted to know how long this would go on before they got to the crux of the matter, which was probably them kicking him out. She was going about it rather oddly, though…

"Anyways! She can't be your mum! She didn't hold your hand when you caught yourself the flu and got Lily sick, too, and she didn't spend every day tucking you into bed without fail, and she didn't make you tomato soup or proper biscuits from scratch! She didn't… She didn't stand by you in that courtroom, and she didn't help you through every interview. She didn't buy you ice cream on bad days and…"

Severus' eyes were watering, and he felt so confused, so out of his depth. He was only eight! Did he even have a depth? Apparently he did, and Rose Evans was very far out of it, especially when she wasn't calling him prat or planning to get rid of him. Through the whole case and the adoption, he'd always been prepared for them to turn on him. But this wasn't that. It sounded like… like…

"She's not your mum because she didn't protect you! When Tobias came stumbling around drunk at two in the morning, she didn't call the police on him or get the neighbourhood involved, and she didn't tell him off, and she definitely didn't argue and push him till he was clear of you! She's not your mum, Sev!"

No… She couldn't… That was impossible, right?

"I… I know I'm not perfect, Sev, and we've got a lot to work on, but… Sev, I want to be your mum. I want to, Sev." Her voice was breaking not two words in, but Severus heard. He _heard,_ and before his brain had even processed it, he was on his feet, stumbling over himself to the door. His too small hand clutched the handle, and his magic dissipated with a great _woosh._

**_._ **

The door clicked open, and a sobbing Severus Evans fell into Rose's lap. She pulled him close, crying into his hair as he clung to her.

"Can you make chicken and barley? Do you know how to rub tummies? Will you keep tucking me in? Can you sing lullabies?" he blubbered out, and Rose chuckled lightly.

"Yes, yes I can, I do, I will, and I can."

Severus pulled back in her arms, his teary eyes brighter than ever.

**"Then I think I'd like to have you be my mum."**


	3. Funny Folk and Phones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose is trying her damnedest to do right by Severus, which leads to some odd phone calls and a moderately confused Rose.  
> Chapter has been edited! Yay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so incredibly sorry for taking this long to update again! This chapter fought being written for a while, and I kept debating only posting the first piece of it, but eventually inspiration came in the form of the previous chapter. I do hope you guys enjoy, and I apologize in advance if the end seems a bit rushed.

Severus Evans wasn't what most people would call well adjusted, and Rose Evans was very aware of this. It was why she was up at three in the morning, desperately searching through phone books and newspapers for someone who could help. She wasn't quite sure if magical children needed special counselors, or if they even had them, or where to find them if they did exist, but she'd be damned if she didn't give him his best shot.

She and Harry had already made one mistake; She wasn't about to let this be another.

Rose sighed and settled her head down on her forearms. She wanted to sleep, but every time she tried, she was met with a flood of memories from earlier the previous afternoon. The whole thing had taken place in less than half an hour, but there was so _much_ there, so much to feel guilty about. And feel guilty she did.

They should have noticed that something was off. Severus had been through seven years of abuse - it was all he'd ever known - but he'd taken such a shine to the family. He looked and sounded so happy. No one had bothered to see if anything was well and truly wrong. True, there was his obvious anxiety, and the nightmares, and his skittishness, but they had all just played it off as a result of abuse that he would grow out of. _They hadn't seen the signs._ They didn't need to now, but they should have checked long ago. _A whole damned year_. Rose still couldn't believe it. They had sat there and taken it all with wilfully oblivious smiles while Severus sat there and suffered and they didn't _know_.

Rose drew her elbows up to rest on the table, head in hand. The events of that afternoon had bruised her confidence in her maternal skills. She was determined to repair it, which had left her hunting down the name and number of every person versed in psychology that she could. Harry, she knew, was asleep with Lily on Severus' floor. Severus had wanted her there, too, but…

_Why on Earth couldn't people be more abrupt about what they did?_

Rose was so caught up in her internal ranting that she almost missed the advert just by the inside of her elbow. _Alexandra Flint: Mind Healer for the Magically Touched._

Her first thought was that this woman had to be a crackpot. There was no other way she would publish something so outlandish as that. And then confusion. It looked like the advert was printed in between the sides of the page. If she shoved it off the side, it looked like any other newspaper article, but brought up in front of her, it was just barely visible to her… _Oh._ When she focused on wanting to see the advert, it shimmered to life.

She was out of her chair in a flash, scrambling for the phone. The advert was pinned to the wall by her wrist as she hastily punched in the number at the bottom. That it was well into the wee hours of the night was lost on Rose as she listened to the dial tone.

_Please, please, please pick up._

_Click._ "Hello, Healer Alexandra-" there was a large yawn "- Flint, Mind Healer for magical children and adolescents since 1983. How may I help you?"

Rose almost fell to the floor, knees weak and wobbling beneath her.

"Hello? I know you're still there, dear, but I can't read your mind over the phone. I need you to speak to me," the healer reminded her.

"Hullo," Rose started. "I saw your advert in the newspaper and… and we need help. My son, Severus, he needs help. The kind that I don't think I can give him." Her voice cracked in the last sentence, giving way to the pain of her supposed failure.

"Severus? You mean the Snape boy?" was snapped from the other side of the line.

Rose nodded before she remembered she was on the phone. "Yes, that would him. How did you…?"

"I might be a squib dear but that doesn't mean I don't watch the telly. So, Mr. Snape is having problems adjusting is he?" She sounded almost… smug?

"Squi- a what? Oh, nevermind that. It's Evans, he's Severus Evans by law now. And no. We thought he was but… he had a problem earlier in the day. He had a bit of a storm in his room at the mention of his mum and-"

"This is what happens when you muggles start trying to raise magical children," Alexandra muttered. "Alright, who's his mother?"

"What's that got to do with any bloody thing?"

"I need to know, Mrs. Evans, so I can make sure I don't have any conflict of interest."

Rose was pretty sure that woman had more snap to her than a turtle. "She was Eileen Prince-"

"I can't treat him," came rushing out before Rose heard the click of the receiver.

_What in the world?_

She just shook her head and put the phone back in its place on the wall. No point in bothering now.

One by one, all of the adverts she'd found were stacked neatly on the table, and the lights were flicked off. Eventually Rose trudged her way up the stairs and down to the third door on the left. She turned the handle quietly as she could, hoping not to disturb anyone.

The first thing she noticed was that the window had to be open, because the curtains were waving in a gentle night breeze while moonlight bathed the room. Harry and Lily were on the floor, Lily curled half on top of Harry. The moonlight filtering into the room lit their faces up in ethereal silver, and Rose wished she had a camera on hand. The two of them made a precious sight. She was certain it would have been even better with Sev there.

No, instead of being on the floor with his recently adopted family, Severus was sitting in the chair under his window. Rose's breath caught in her throat as he looked over at her. The pale light made it painfully obvious just how poorly he was doing. His cheeks were no longer as gaunt as they had been the previous year, but his eyes were sunken and the light made them look harshly bruised. Severus was paler - quite a few shades more so than the rest of the Evans family. And, God, he was so _small._

"I couldn't sleep with them," Severus whispered, breaking Rose from her thoughts.

Rose nodded her understanding and continued to stand there, a comfortable silence settling back over them.

Eventually Severus acquiesced the chair to Rose, and he found himself climbing up into her lap. He was asleep against her shoulders in seconds.

**~x~x~**

Awareness came to Severus like a slow moving fog, edging it's way in carefully. The first thing he noticed was that he was warm, and that he wasn't in his bed. The second was a soft voice that made him swear he was dreaming.

"Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green,

When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen."

_Wait… Those words are off… Just barely…_

"Who told me so, dilly dilly, who told me so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so."

_'S not how it goes…_

"Call up your men, dilly dilly, set them to work;

Some-"

"Set them to reap, dilly dilly, set them to hoe…"

Rose smiled when Severus cut into her song, bringing it to an early end. It took a moment, but eventually Severus looked up at her. They were still in the chair under the window, with Sev carefully cradled in her arms. He wouldn't be able to see it, but Harry and Lily were still asleep on the floor; A drooling Lily was draped artfully over an equally drooling Harry. Endearing picture, honestly, and it took some effort for her not to chuckle at them.

Sev continued to remain silent for a bit, as if he were carefully choosing his words.

Rose just waited patiently.

"Tha's not how the song goes, y'know," he informed her.

She couldn't help but smile. "I know, but Lily likes this version best. I guess I've just gotten used to it."

Sev nodded before settling back in against her chest to look out at the rising sun.

"Can you sing it again for me?"

"If you'd like, I can."

"Please, mum?"

"Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green…"

**~x~x~**

The next time Severus woke up, someone was talking right next to him. He thought it was probably Rose. A quick peek up told him he was right.

He was still curled up in her lap, but this time she was talking on the phone. If he concentrated really hard, he could hear bits from the other line.

"- they had some history - so sorry - unprofessional - help - free -"

"It's understandable, don't worry. Really, I promise. We couldn't take the free sessions from you, especially if they'd be in secret. I'm sorry. Yes, I'll make sure to call back if I change my mind."

Severus didn't understand much, but he knew that he'd only caught the tail end of the conversation. It didn't seem to matter too much, though, and it was quickly shrugged off when Rose noticed he was awake.

"How do you feel about hotcakes and bacon for breakfast?"

**~x~x~**

An owl first thing in the morning wasn't what Minerva McGonagall had been expecting, and certainly not one from Evangeline Burke, urgently requesting that she do something to help a client that Mrs. Flint had turned down.

"Haven't even had tea yet," she muttered, heading across her rooms to the large, stately fireplace that kept the room constantly warm. A pinch of dust was taken from a large bowl atop the mantle and thrown into the flames, turning them bright green.

"Evangeline Burke, Burke Hall, Dublin, Ireland."

The floo opened for her after a moment, and she put her face into the cool flames. "EVANGELINE!" she called, knowing her once friend could be anywhere in her home. If she started screeching, then at least maybe a house elf might hear her, if not Evangeline herself.

Minerva knelt into the fire for a whole five minutes before Evangeline finally came rushing up to it.

"Oh! Minnie! You must have gott-" she started, only to be sharply cut off by Minerva.

"You gave up the right to call me Minnie quite a while ago, _Genie_."

Evangeline pouted at her. "It was just a ball, Minnie, and I apologised! Profusely, might I add."

Minerva half glared at her, mouth set in an angle. "It was my coming out ball, mind you, and my mother went through quite a deal of trouble to arrange it without my father finding out about magic, and then _you_ showed up already drunk, trying to show magic to _muggles_ , and this is all besides the point. Can I come through?"

Evangeline swept up her skirts and stepped out of the way, allowing Minerva to step through the fire and into Burke Hall.

They didn't get to the heart of any matter whatsoever for a good 15 minutes, during which her old friend lead her to the solarium, ordered tea and vanilla scones, and got them comfortable.

"So, I'll assume you're here about my letter, Minnie?" Minerva had just barely nodded when Evangeline barge straight on into her explanation. "Here's the short of it: I worked real late last night filing work for Mrs. Flint, I mean four in the morning sort of late. Now, it's been a pretty normal day so far. I'm tired, I've had to _ennervate_ myself twice, and I'm about to need it a third time when that blasted muggle thing goes off. Scares the tired right out of me. Now, Mrs. Flint comes down, sleep mask and all, answers the phone, and turns out it's a potential client. Lady calling is a muggle, but she's got a magic child. Alexandra does that thing she does, guesses who the kid is. His name is Severus Snape, which isn't too weird. He was in the muggle news a bit ago. Dad kept him practically a slave, he did. Alexandra asks her standard questions, and gets to the one where she starts asking about different families to make sure there's no conflict of interest. I'm ready, ledger out, and she just hangs the phone up! Just like that! Turns round to me and asks me, 'Genie, when did that muggle loving Eileen ever have a child?' My jaw must have been on the floor! Last we'd heard, she'd been disowned for marrying a muggle, but no one knew she had a _kid_! And this is why I need your help, Minnie. His mum won't take my free, secret sessions, and I gotta do right by Eileen. With how much she helped all of us out, I like to think we owe it to her. Her memory, at least. From before she went wonky woo."

Minerva had to fight to keep the tick out of her jaw. Evangeline Burke was the most talkative, gossip mongering, biased piece of work she had ever known. Dear school friend, yes, but she was still everything else as well. Where was Pomona when they needed her? She had always been great at keeping the peace in their little group, and even better at keeping Evangeline quiet. It took her a bit to finally answer.

"I'll have to talk to Albus about this, you know. I'm sure you're aware the implications of this, yes?"

Evangeline nodded. "He'll want to train him into the personal Potions Master that Eileen didn't want to be. I know. But this is Eileen's kid. Whether she did right by him or not, we have to."

There was a long lull of silence between them before Minerva sighed. "I'll speak to Albus."

**~x~x~**

The conversation with Albus went about as Minerva had predicted. Albus had played it off quite well, of course.

_'Yes, yes, we could help. I could teach him Occlumency. It would help him sort his thoughts and emotions. Maybe even potions. Now, now, Minerva. Potions requires quite a lot of focus and attention. It would do him good. Why not invite the boy to stay the summer?'_

She knew he would play this in a way that benefited him. It was what he did, going through life as if it were simply a giant game of Wizard's Chess. She scoffed quietly before heading out to muggle London. She had a phone call to make.

**~x~x~**

Breakfast in the Evans house was something that Sev had come to love quite easily. He wasn't sure if it was the way Lily would inevitably end up with syrup on herself or the way Petunia tried to eat her bacon with some semblance of dignity that made it so great. It could have been the way that Rose always seemed to know what to make, but it could also well have been Harry's attempts at reading the funnies under the table. He would have to concede, though, that it was probably the way he felt so at home at their little table, munching his way through his hotcakes or porridge or fruits. Breakfast in the Evans household was always warm, always happy, and almost always the best part of Severus' day.

This breakfast was like every other one so far, and he didn't mind that one bit. Rose had caught Harry with the funnies, Lily had gotten syrup on Petunia's sleeve, and he quite happily had a stack of five hotcakes. Five of them! All was right as far as he was concerned. He didn't even bother to remember the events of yesterday afternoon. No one else was, so why should he?

He kept this mindset through the phone ringing, Rose's one sided answers, her changing tone, and the hastily hung up phone.

"Severus, we need to talk."

**~x~x~**

Rose had been scolding Harry for reading the funnies under the table yet again when the phone had gone off. It wasn't an entirely unusual occurrence, not really. Sometimes her girlfriends liked to call then, and she highly doubted that this particular Sunday morning would be any different.

She was a bit surprised when she answered the phone to find no one she knew on the line. Instead, it was quite the opposite.

A thick burr answered her tentative hello.

"Hello? Hello? Oh! This thing is working. Yes - ahem - are you the guardian of a one Severus Evans?"

"Yes…?" Rose answered slowly. "That would be me. May I ask who is this?"

"Of course! I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall. I'm a teacher at a school named Hogwarts. You should be hearing about it in a few more years. In the meantime, I received a letter this-"

"Letter?" Rose questioned. "But it's Sunday! There's no post on Sunday!"

She could hear Harry shout "Right, that!" from the dining room. This professor, on the other hand, simply laughed it off.

"Owls don't know days of the week, dear girl!" _Owls?_ "Now, as was explained to me, you have a magical child in your care who needs some attention. Normally, I would simply pass on a recommendation for you, but Ms. Burke was adamant that I offer my services to you."

"Services?" Rose was absolutely lost. _No more calling funny folk on the phone. None. I'll get into this owl business if I must, but no more phones._

"Yes, child, services. For the boy. Severus?"

"But Severus doesn't need a professor or any tutoring! He's heading to Cokeworth's just around the block with Lily next term. He's doing quite well, yes. Keeps up with Lily in all her work."

"I'm not calling about tutoring!" Exasperation was thick in the professor's voice. "That boy needs the help of a mind healer, or at least a half competent adult versed in mind healing, and I am offering myself for the position."

"Wait, you said mind healer. That's what that advert last night sa- Are you like that Flint lady?"

"Alexandra Flint is a self righteous squib full of pureblood propaganda and bitterness. Now, I am calling on behalf of her assistant, Evangeline Burke, to whom I owe a favor. So, Mrs. Evans. Services for your boy? I have a group of students to take care of later today, and muggle things don't always work in the castle."

Rose was at a loss for words. _Who in the world?_ Apparently Minerva McGonagall in the world. She'd sounded quite rushed and busy, honestly. She wondered if the professor would be quite so pushy and blunt in person.

"Hello? Hello?" For a moment it sounded like she was shaking the phone.

"Yes! Yes! Uhm, might we be able to meet you first?"

"Of course!" Minerva sounded quite offended that they thought they'd let some stranger around their charge. "I'll be needing your address, of course, and I'll be there at eight sharp, Saturday morning."

"Thank you!" was all Rose could get in before the rough burr was replaced with a dial tone. She was in a daze as she placed the phone back in its cradle, and she was only half aware of her feet taking her to the dining room.

"Severus, we need to talk."


	4. Minerva McGonagall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McGonagall pays a house visit to the Evans family, Rose is upset, and Petunia is magic.

Minerva McGonagall was a fairly tall, stern looking lady. That was the first thing Severus decided when she rang the bell at precisely eight in the morning that Saturday. She was there exactly when she'd promised to be. The second check in his mental deduction of the woman was that she was quite punctual. Thirdly, she was just as pretty as Rose, despite some oncoming wrinkles.

She had some crinkles around her eyes - Petunia would call them 'crow's feet' or something - and really deep laugh lines. There was laughter in her eyes, a thought which surprised him. _How does someone have laughter in their eyes?_

Severus was contemplating that when the professor coughed politely. Sev snapped to, apologizing for keeping her waiting and leading her through to the living room.

Rose was sitting on the couch that faced the window, nursing her tea from breakfast. He knew Lily was asleep, otherwise she'd be down here pestering the poor professor. Petunia was finishing up an end of term project, and Harry was at work trying to finish a rush order.

Severus stood and Rose continued to sit, both waiting on McGonagall, who was currently busy taking in the cozy room. Eventually she nodded in (what Severus hoped was) approval. Before anyone got the chance to settle in, though, a length of knobby, light wood was pulled from her sleeve. Severus couldn't help but stare. That was a wand!

 _Oh, Lily was right! The professor_ is _a witch!_

A flick to the side distracted Sev from the five pounds he now owed Lily. A dim light had shot across the room at Harry's funnies, seeming to envelop it. The paper floated itself off of the table, coming to a rest just in front of the witch. He was awestruck with the paper started unfolding, and then kept unfolding - stretching and filling until it resembled a deep seated chair. The paper turned to fabric, a deep red hue coming over it, until the comfiest chair Severus had ever seen was sat there in their living room.

"You're a witch! Mum! I was right, mum!"

Minerva's eyes went wide and her head snapped around. Severus felt a little bad - she hadn't even sat down yet. Lily had great timing like that.

Everyone remained still, careful silence coming over them in waves a bit thinner than the waves of tension rolling off of McGonagall. Lily was oblivious to this, and Severus could have cursed her and her damned timing and those questions _oh god, does she ever not ask questions?_

"-me how to do that? That was so awesome! The paper was floating and it went all woosh and then there was a _chair_! Where'd ya learn how to do that? Is there a school for that stuff? Did ya know Sev is magic, too? He can make stuff change colors! I wish I could do that, too, but all I can do is make flowers float and spin and stuff, and sometimes I float! Is that neat? Sev thinks it is, but Tuney says-"

"Lily!" The snap of Rose's voice made Lily finally stop and take a breath. Rose looked embarrassed and Lily looked relieved to finally have air. Severus knew that his face was probably mirroring his mum's right now, and he assumed the professor simply looked horrified.

And he was right, for just a moment. That moment died quickly with a quick giggle, which dissolved into blatant laughter in no time at all. Severus was stunned. _What on Earth was going on today?_

**~x~x~**

If someone had told Minerva Mcgonagall that she'd be meeting a small child with an unholy amount of questions that morning, she more than likely would have scoffed. It was only supposed to be the Evans boy and his mother, after all.

Here she was, though, at ten past eight, hovering above her seat and staring open mouthed at a girl who had more questions than some Ravenclaws she knew. The thought made her laugh, and she tried to hold it in. The resulting giggle surprised her even more, and she couldn't help but laugh. The morning was already so _odd_. Laughing, as undignified as it might be in this fashion, hardly seemed out of place.

"Well, dear," she wheezed out after a few minutes of healthy laughter, "seeing as you happen to have magic yourself, I might very well teach you that in a few years."

The girl's face lit up like a fairy light at that, and she had to fight to restrain another laugh. She was here for a reason, after all.

"Well, come on then," she said, waving her hand at the girl. "You might as well come and sit with us, dear." _Lily, that's her name. I'll have to remember that. She'll be Ravenclaw soon enough._

Her thoughts were both reinforced and heavily rethought when Lily skipped over, happily plopped herself down in Minerva's chair. She was briefly enchanted by bright green eyes before she realised what had happened. She stared, flabbergasted, as Lily gave her an ever angelic smile.

_Ravenclaw my arse. She's more likely to be a Gryffindor or Slytherin, mark my words._

With that, she shook her head and walked over to Severus. There was work to do.

**~x~x~**

Severus didn't quite see the point of staring at the tip of McGonagall's wand, or her checking his eyes and nose and mouth. This felt like the physical the school nurse had given him in primary. Mostly because it was, if he was being honest. It wasn't like he minded, though, just that… well, wasn't she here about his brain?

No, instead she gave him a check over and talked with Rose in the kitchen. Her burr carried all the way out into the living room, but it was hard to make out what she was saying. Lily swinging her feet against the chair didn't help, the dull thud interrupting words and phrases. Sev could only stand it for so long.

"Lily!" he hissed between his teeth. "Lily, will you stop!"

Lily froze mid-kick and stared at him.

"-arts for lessons. We can start next month."

Both sets of eyes went wide.

"But what about therapy? He need-"

"I understand, Mrs. Evans, but I can't teach him what he needs. There is, however, someone in Hogsmeade who can. Next month is July. We won't have any students to be teaching, and they'll get the attention they need."

" _Hogsmeade_?" Severus mouthed.

Lily just shrugged at him.

"But- what about travel?" Rose sounded like she was trying to think of reasons to say no at this point. But why?

"As I told you earlier, Mrs. Evans, the two are perfectly welcome to stay with myself in the castle. They would be no inconvenience to us, I assure you." McGonagall sounded exasperated, and Rose's answering sigh could be heard perfectly well.

"Very well…"

There was some whispering and a few low words that Sev strained to hear, but they didn't last long.

Soon enough, Rose and the professor were standing before them.

Rose was looking at her feet while McGonagall looked that the both of them.

"We have many things to talk about dears, and I've taken it upon myself to tell you these things far before is proper. Firstly, the pair of you are magical. Severus, you are a wizard, and Miss Evans here is a witch. In three years time, the both of you will be attending Hogwarts, a school that teaches witchcraft and wizardry to children such as yourselves. You will see it soon enough, as you will be coming to stay from the dates of July the first to August the thirty first. I would like to have you two for longer, but the day after is the beginning of the term." McGonagall simply nodded, and Rose was still avoiding looking at anyone. _What in the world?_ "You will get your first real introduction to the magical world tomorrow. You will be sent a list by way of owl. This list will contain the things the pair of you will each need to bring for the next two months. You have a week and a half to ready yourselves. Do be ready on time, yes?" She nodded, and with that she was gone. The only signal of her departure was a sharp crack.

Rose headed for her room not soon after, leaving a still bewildered Lily and Severus in the living room.

**~x~x~**

It took a bit, but eventually it was decided that Lily would call their dad and tell him to come home. Neither one thought they'd get Rose out of her room without his help. That neither of them was quite sure what was wrong didn't make anything any better.

"Sorry, baby girl," Harry told Lily. "I can't get off early today. We've gotta finish this project soon, but I promise I will be home. I gotta go, baby girl. I'll see you all tonight, yeah?"

Lily nodded against the phone before hanging it up. "Yeah. Alright, da."

She took a deep breath before she looked at Sev. "Mum's favorite food is chocolate chip biscuits. We're making them."

Sev stared at her blankly.

"Us," she said, waving her finger between the both of them. "We are making biscuits. With chocolate chips and the Assam Black that Tuney bought last Christmas."

Sev just nodded and Lily had to resist the urge to sigh. "Mum and da would do the same for us if we couldn't lock them out with magic, dolt."

Sev nodded again, but he looked a little more confident about the idea. A great big grin found its way onto Lily's face and she reached forward to grab Sev's hand. Sev smiled softly back at her. "Biscuits it is then."

**~x~x~**

It was quickly discovered that neither Lily nor Sev really knew how to make proper biscuits, nor did they know the right way to brew a tea.

Severus was sat at the table, staring off at the kitchen when an idea hit him.

"Lils! Lils!" he shouted. "Where's mum's cookbook?"

Lily had been staring off much the same as Sev had, and his shout jolted her out of whatever daydream she'd been having.

"Lils, cookbook. Y'know, the book that mum's got all her recipes in?"

Lily scowled at him. "I know what a cookbook is you… you… you prat!"

Sev looked thoroughly unimpressed. "Let me know when you've got a bigger word, yeah?"

Lily's scowl deepened and she stormed off upstairs.

She'd only been gone a minute or two when she came back down.

"Oh, did you find the co-"

Severus probably would have finished bhis question sounding a little more dignified if he hadn't squeaked when he ducked. A very necessary maneuver, as Lily had thrown a rather large cookbook at his head.

"Just help me make the bloody biscuits, you lummox!"

 _Bloody mad woman she is, I swear._ Severus shook his head and followed her anyways.

**~x~x~**

The first batch of biscuits was doomed when Lily insisted that they use stoneware to bake the cookies. They spread heat evenly after all. The smug look vanished from Lily's face as the cookies did not rise, and instead puddled and turned into a cookie disaster.

The second batch was cooked at 190 instead of the proper 175 on accident, resulting in biscuits that were far too crispy.

Batch three was all flat again, this time Lily had only used granulated sugar. _It'll caramelize, Sev! That means it'll brown!_

The next batch had too much flour, and the next had melted butter. At that point, Sev decided that Lily was a kitchen disaster, and he would ask her to carry the tray for mum.

The sixth batch proved to be the final, just barely overcooked. Severus was quite proud of himself.

He set the tea on and grabbed a small dish each for a bit of cream and sugar, two small spoons, and a pretty blue cup that he knew Rose loved.

Lily was, true to Severus' word, given the honor of carrying the laden tray to Rose and Harry's room.

Severus knocked four times, anxiety working it's way in between every knock. He was raising his hand to knock again when Rose finally opened the door. She had slight bags under her eyes, and Sev would have sworn that they hadn't been there a few hours ago. He had a weak smile, and she looked tired.

"Are you okay, mum? We-"

"We made you biscuits, mum!" Lily cut in, practically radiating chipperness.

Rose's smile grew a bit, just a small one, but it was enough for Sev.

The pair wormed their way into their parents' room. It wasn't too much bigger than his or Petunia's, he noted. There was definitely more floor space, and he already knew that they had an attached bathroom. Severus lead them to the small padded bench at the foot of the bed, and somewhere between the door and that bench Lily had started talking.

_I really have to start paying attention._

"-six whole batches! Sev made this one all by himself, mum!" Sev would have been lying if he said he hadn't blushed. "I tried to help but Sev says I'm a disaster in the kitchen. Six batches, though, mum! That's a lot of cookies! Oh, and we made you that tea you like that Tuney bought you!"

Rose was kneeling in front of them with a gentle smile on her face. "I'll miss you two," she said.

"We'll be back," was Sev's immediate reply. "We can write you letters every day, and we'll let you know what we're doing and what we're learning. We'll make you really proud, mum!" Lily nodded along.

Rose chuckled softly. "I'm not worried about you two making me proud. You already do that, every single day." She switched her gaze back and forth between them before settling on Lily. "Lily, dear little Lils, oh, you've grown so much. You were so little when we brought you home. So, so incredibly tiny. Your da was always scared he'd crush you on accident. You were _strong_ , though, and you had the best set of lungs for miles. I don't think we ever really needed to worry about losing you. It was pretty hard to when you were always crying like that. And now you're big, and just as strong, and you're brave and stubborn and just a bit foolish. A little too smart for your own good, and definitely cunning. I've never had you away from me for more than a weekend, and I…" Sev figured she would have finished the sentence if it wouldn't make her cry, but she had tears in her eyes when she turned to him. That sentence wouldn't find completion.

"Sev, the best son a mum could ever want. We were so scared that day we brought you home. Those chains and that collar, and you were so much tinier than even Lily. You had a fever and you shook the whole night through." She swallowed and stared at her knees. "Whenever you had to talk about your dad, I would just sit there, scared and worried for you. You were so full of hate. I decided right then, that first night you were with us, that I'd do everything I could to make sure you never had to feel that way again. And then, and then having to let you go to doctors and taking you to court dates. It was so hard, and we were so worried that something would happen or go wrong or you would be taken away from us." She was smiling now, with fresh tears in her eyes, and Sev could feel his own watering in response. "But you just smiled the whole time, and none of it ever seemed to get you down. You were one of the best blessings we ever got, Sev, and I'm so scared to have to let you go. What if you don't come back to us?"

It was, in retrospect, a very good thing that Lily was still the one holding the tray, because Severus chose that moment to fling himself into Rose's lap. He nearly knocked her over.

"Mum, you worry too much," he told her, hugging her tight. He heard the clinking of the tray being set down and was hit a rather heavy thump in the back a mere moment later.

"Ow, Lils…" he complained, but he didn't really mean it. Her arms overlapped his, hugging Rose as well as she could.

"Two months, mum, just two months and we'll be back not a day later," Lily told their mum.

Sev nodded against Rose's shoulder. "We love you mum, and we've gotta come back! Who else will let me have cocoa with my hotcakes?"

Sev liked to think that Rose was smiling when she wrapped her two youngest children up in her arms.

**~x~x~**

The owl the next morning was a surprise to all of them. No one had quite believed that anyone would really send post by way of owl. It was just so… Witchy? Wizard-y? No. Magical. That was the word.

Petunia happily informed them that the "beautiful specimen there on the sill" was a spectacled owl and that the professor must have gone through a great deal to find it, as it's native home was in the Central and Southern Americas. Severus thought it fitting that the owl was bespectacled, just like its master.

There were two small, rolled pieces of parchment - _who on earth even uses parchment anymore?_ \- tied to its leg with a thread of leather. Lily and Sev played rock paper scissors to see who had the "honor" of getting the letters - a game which Lily lost. She had a tendency to play rock first.

Everyone was shocked when the rolls enlarged themselves in her hand. Lily herself was so shocked she dropped them like hot rocks.

"Lils!" Sev whined. "Did you really have to drop them?"

Lily simply stared at him like he'd gone mad, to which his only reply was to shrug. Tuney, on the other hand, groaned loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Lily said, waving them off. "Here, Sev, this one is yours." She handed him a roll of parchment that had his name written quite elegantly with deep green ink.

He quickly worried a wax seal off of it and spread it out next to his toast.

_"_

_Dear Mr. Evans,_

_We deeply anticipate the oncoming stay of yourself and a one Miss Lily Evans. We ask that you please await the prompt arrival of myself and one more professor at 9 o'clock sharp, the morning of July the first. The first item of business we will attend to is school supplies and Diagon Alley. Dress accordingly. Enclosed is a list of items you are requested to pack for your two month stay at Hogwarts._

_Signed,_

_Prof. Minerva McGonagall_

_You are required to bring:_

_One large duffle bag or trunk_

_Sufficient indoor and outdoor clothing_

_Two sets pyjamas_

_Slippers_

_Appropriate in and outdoor trainers or boots_

_One messenger bag of school size_

_Money for school supplies_

_"_

Severus looked over at Lily, who finished reading just a second later.

"Well, I guess packing won't be too hard, will it?" Sev asked. Lily just nodded.

"Good thing you just picked out your new clothes, too," Lily told him. "Lots easier, that is. Oh! Mum! Da! We have a supplies list!" The corresponding parchment was passed across the table, and Rose looked over it quickly.

"Looks like we need to get you both some messenger bags and a few pounds, but you should be good. Maybe a shopping trip for everyone? Just because?" Rose was smiling, and Tuney looked quite happy at the thought of a shopping trip.

"Of course, we still need to get a new leotard for Petunia, and I believe your da needs some new trousers, so maybe we do have a reason…"

Petunia perked up at the mention of a new leotard, and Sev couldn't help but smile. She had a recital at the beginning of October: a full rendition of _The Nutcracker._ She hadn't shut up about it for months, and she had practiced as much as possible when audition dates were announced. The end result? Petunia now proudly boasted the title of the young Clara Stahlbaum. Severus had seen some of the dances, and he was constantly amazed by it. He might have been magic, but ballet was the truest magic; How anyone could move like that on their toes was beyond him.

**~x~x~**

The morning of July first found Sev and Lily sitting on Lily's new trunk, with Sev's new duffle bag between them. The trunk was leather, carefully tanned to a delicate shade of brown, with peach - _not_ pink - leaves embossed along the bottom. 'L. Evans' was embossed in a similar fashion along an edge of the top. Sev had nearly been coerced into buying a similar one in blue or green (Tuney had already claimed the matched purple one), but had settled for a simple black duffle bag instead.

Tuney was out on the stoop with them, humming and twirling about, and Sev was happily watching with the most enchanted look on his face. Even outside of the studio, dance and grace just seemed to come to Petunia. She made it look easier than drinking water or breathing. And by god, was she beautiful doing it. At any other time, she was horse faced and gangly, and she was always stick straight and she smiled all the time, but dancing. When she danced she was refined and graceful. She looked like dance belonged in her, sang from within her bones and ran in her blood. Everyone knew she wanted to be a prima ballerina, and if he knew what that meant he'd probably say that she deserved it.

Sev leaned over to Lily's shoulder and whispered, "How's she do all that? Doesn't it hurt her toes?"

Lily gave him a soft laugh in return. "She's been like that long as I can remember. Always moving and twirling and skipping. I used to be jealous, y'know? I'm too clumsy for that. But now I got magic." She smiled at Sev. "And magic is way better than that."

Sev shook his head. "I don't care what magic can do. She can do all that and she can't do any magic!"

For once, Petunia was glad she wasn't magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry if I disappointed you with how I decided to give Petunia 'magic.' This fic changes a lot of canon things, and I rather like the idea of Petunia being a ballerina. It seems to fit pretty well, I think, and it certainly works to give her something for Sev and Lily to envy in return.


	5. Gringotts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the children to depart for the magical world. First big stop? Gringotts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for PiffyEQ, whose reviews brighten my day and encourage me to write more every chapter. I know I said that all would be revealed in this chapter, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't give you something else to look forward to! I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.  
> Thank you so much to all of you who read this and like it, those of you who have left kudos, and those of you leaving various comments and reviews. They mean so much to me!  
> This chapter has been edited in hopes of answering some questions people had, and clarifying a few things.

Minerva McGonagall appeared at the end of Hambledon Road with no more than a muffled snap, her robes just barely ruffled. Her companion, a one Elphinstone Urquart, arrived just behind her, stumbling slightly. Minerva smirked while she could. Elphinstone might be older and more experienced, but she was still quite a bit better at apparating than he was.

As Elphinstone was busy straightening out his now askew robes, Minerva started a better explanation than the one she had given him the previous week at Madam Puddifoot's ("Elphie, would you please not propose now. This is a serious conversation. We have to go on an errand run and pick up to children for Albus. Yes, you have to come with me").

"This place," she said, gesturing about, "is Hambledon Road. Completely muggle neighbourhood, I assure you, save for two children. Those children are the ones Albus has requested we retrieve." She turned her head a bit and saw Elphinstone nod along. "They'll be staying at Hogwarts for two months. The two children are only eight bu-"

" _Eight?_ Minnie! Since when are underage children allowed in Hogwarts? Much less during the _summer_?" her companion started. "No one sees Hogwarts until they're eleven! There are rules and reasons, Minnie! You said _Hogsmeade_ under _extenuating circumstances!_ " He trailed off on a rant about propriety and children and schooling and Minerva frowned at him. Of all people, she had expected Elphinstone to listen to her.

"Now, now, Elphie," she tutted. "Albus himself is allowing them early summer entrance to Hogwarts, and I have…" she cast a quick _tempus_ "only five minutes to tell you why Hogwarts is about to have summer students."

Elphinstone nodded, a little red in the face, but finally silent. Minerva turned to face him fully.

"That boy is one of the last remaining Prince children. I assume you remember the Princes? Especially Eileen?" He should. Eileen Prince had been one of the best potions mistresses in the last five centuries before being disowned and disappearing into the muggle world. He looked like he understood the implications of that. "That boy has been ritually abused for years. It's the only thing the wee lad had ever known before being adopted into this family. He needs help, and Albus has offered to start teaching him Occlumency to help him stay calm and learn to deal with his emotions and thoughts in a safe, controlled manner. Though, knowing Albus he'll definitely be throwing in potions." She rolled her eyes and pulled on her best Albus Dumbledore face. "'It'll be for the best. You'll see, my dear Minerva, you'll see…' and then he'll nod and his eyes will twinkle and Severus there will end up learning potions."

Elphinstone chose then to cut in. "What about the girl, Minnie? She may be magical, but that's not nearly as good a reason as the one the boy has." Minerva had to bite back a smile when she realised he wasn't about to try to argue with the logic of Albus Dumbledore. Elphinstone always had been a smart man.

"Because this is the first Evans child in nearly three centuries to finally show signs of magic." She left it at that and started heading down the street. If dear old Elphie didn't grasp the consequences of that statement, then that's what he got for not paying more attention to Binns before he went senile. She didn't tell him that she had invited the girl without Albus' permission beforehand, and that the two had had quite the argument over the matter. Not much to grasp there, not if he understood the rest of what she said.

Minerva was twelve houses away from number 10 when Elphinstone finally started running after her.

"Evans? Minnie, there's a lot of Evans families! Wait- You mean _that_ family, don't you?"

She simply nodded at him.

"But- they- it's all squibs! Squibs and muggles! Minnie, there's no magic in the Evans line anymore!" he nearly shouted.

Minerva nodded again. "Elphie, she makes flowers float and spin about. She herself is prone to floating, as well. She didn't say it, but I get the feeling that she's quite capable of doing so when she wants to."

Elphinstone was left sputtering at this. His words seemed to fail him, and Minerva didn't necessarily blame him. Accidental magic _was_ supposed to be accidental.

"Just wait until you see her eyes. Slytherin green, the exact shade," she said, and with that she picked up her pace, leaving Elphinstone behind for the now in sight number 10.

**~x~x~**

Lily was the first to notice the oddly dressed pair coming up the road. She was off her trunk in a beat, skipping off to great them. Petunia yelled after her to stay in the yard, but Lily wouldn't be Lily if she had listened. She was straight off down the road.

It only took her a few skips to actually reach the two adults walking down the road. It helped that they'd been walking pretty fast.

"Hiya, 'fessor McGonagall!" she said the minute she reached them. McGonagall hadn't even replied when Lily turned a bright smile towards the stranger. "Hiya, sir. I'm Lily, Lily Evans."

**~x~x~**

The sun broke through the standard British array of clouds right when Lily looked at Elphinstone, and the very first thing he saw was sunlight striking green eyes. Later on he would swear up and down that Salazar Slytherin himself would never have been able to pick out a purer shade of green.

It took McGonagall sharply clearing her throat and nearly elbowing him in the ribs to get Elphinstone out of his daze. He shook his head and looked down at a clearly disconcerted Lily Evans. _Oops._

He had to shuffle his robes around to do it, but eventually he dropped down to kneel in front of Lily. "Terribly sorry about that," he told her, voice thick with sincerity. "I've just only ever seen anyone with eyes like that once in my life, and he's only in a painting. Quite an astounding colour, they are. You should be quite proud of them."

The flattery brought a lopsided grin and the barest hints of a blush to Lily's face. "That's what all my friends tell me. They think I've got the prettiest eyes to ever exist."

The sun broke through the clouds again, lighting up Lily's eyes again. _Merlin's pants…_

Elphinstone nearly had to shake himself to make sure he didn't stare again, but he definitely allow himself a lopsided grin just as big as Lily's own. "How about when we get to Hogwarts, I show you the painting? You might even give the old man a run for his money, there."

Lily nodded, right as a butterfly started to flutter about her. Elphinstone couldn't help but think that if Lily was sat in a field right then, and she had charmed her hair black, she'd look like the daughter of Slytherin himself. Hell, she looked enough like him now, with the sun and clouds right on her, that crooked little grin of hers, and those miraculously green eyes.

"Oh, sir!" Lily was already in the drive to number 10, he realized. _Better start paying better attention, old man. Going to get caught off guard by some spell or another at this rate._

"What's it, lass?" he called out to her.

"What's your name?"

"Elphinstone Urquart at your service, but you can call me Uncle Elphie." Risking a glance over at McGonagall, he decided he might just have a little fun. "And that there is Aunt Minnie."

"Elphinstone!" Minerva scolded him, and she may well have cuffed his ear if he hadn't moved. It was worth it, though, to see the way that Lily smiled. Even Minerva, for all her berating, had her mouth curved up at the corners.

**~x~x~**

Severus was quite certain that he was about to be taken away by a crackpot, and he told Rose just as much as Lily walked up the drive. McGonagall must have heard at least part of what he said, because the look she gave him could have curdled milk. He found himself staring down at his feet in shame, and she hadn't even said anything! Rose was chuckling behind him. Odds were that Harry was simply smiling away.

Sev looked back up when the swish of robes finally came to a halt. The professor had extended her hand to Harry, Lily was sat next to him on the trunk, and Petunia was leaning against the front door. _Please, god, if you're listening, please let the neighbors all stay inside. We look practically insane._ At least, he thought they did. What else could it be called when two children were packed, the whole family was out on the stoop, and there were oddly dressed strangers with them?

Answer? Insane. Sev was sure of it.

That wasn't about to diminish his excitement, though. They were going to be in a _castle!_ One that was also a school for people like him and Lily, and they'd get it all to themselves!

Well.

There'd be teachers there, too, but they got to share the glory of a _whole castle_ without a bunch of other kids. He could just imagine how long they'd be able to play tag and hide and seek for. And the adventures! Exploring and pretend! Excitement was bubbling all the way through him, strange old man or no.

A harsh hiss of "Severus!" came from behind him, and he jolted. He would have turned around to see where the hiss had come from, but he didn't really need to. He could _feel_ Rose's stare. The older man's hand was out in front of him, and Sev realized he'd probably just introduced himself.

"Sorry, sir," he mumbled quickly, taking his hand. The hand was much larger than his own, rough and calloused, and yet still looked like it was capable of its fair share of elegance. Sev gave it a quick shake. "I'm Severus Evans. Sorry if I missed your name."

The man announced himself to be Uncle Elphie, returning Sev's quick handshake before turning to talk to Rose and Harry.

 _So maybe he's_ not _a crackpot._

**~x~x~**

It took 15 minutes to finish confirming arrangements, but it was done, and a quick _tempus_ told Minerva that she was right on time for their portkey to Hogsmeade. She fished an old china cup from the folds of her robes before quickly putting it back. Wrong portkey. A few moments later and she had the four of them standing in a circle about a green teacup.

"First lesson in magic," she told Lily and Sev. "This is a portkey. With the correct activation word, it will magically take us to a set location. This one in particular is going to take us to Hogsmeade, a small village outside Hogwarts. We will drop of your belongings at the gate to Hogwarts, and then we will be departing for Diagon Alley." The cup started to glow a silvery blue. "Please do hold onto your things, and do not, I repeat: do not, let go of the cup."

Three hands joined Minerva's on the little cup, and she gave them all a nod.

"This will not be pleasant. _Lemon drops_."

**~x~x~**

Severus decided that there was nothing quite so uncomfortable as the sensation of your navel being pulled backwards through you. Painful? Yes. Unpleasant? Definitely. But outright uncomfortable and disconcerting? So far, portkeys had it. Looking around, he saw Lily, McGonagall, and Uncle Elphie still holding onto the cup. Lily was looking a bit green in the face. Minerva and Uncle Elphie, however, looked as if they'd done this a hundred times. _Probably have_. Behind them all, the world seemed to whirl away, a blur of colors that didn't particularly make sense.

It must have made sense to the professor, though, as she told them to get ready to land. Severus had no idea how to go about that. McGonagall and Uncle Elphie didn't move at all, but Lily had moved so that she was more or less standing straight up. He got the distinct impression that he should _not_ do that. Instead, Sev pulled his knees in a bit, so he was more or less crouching in the air.

Uncle Elphie was grinning at them. "We'll be arriving now."

Crouching was probably the best idea Sev had had that entire morning. McGonagall and Uncle Elphie hit the ground with absolute ease (Elphie only stumbled a little). Lily, however, landed straight on her feet, making her stumble backwards. Severus touched down in a crouch, jerking forward just a bit.

"Alright now, kids, come on. Let's get you a look at your first real spell, shall we?" Uncle Elphie was saying. Severus looked up to see McGonagall flick her wand at Sev's duffel, levitating it over to Lily's trunk. Another flick had both trunk and duffel floating a good meter above the ground, waiting for the professor to direct them. "That is the levitating spell," he informed them. "Minnie the Show-Off doesn't need to say the incantation, but it's _wingardium leviosa_. One of the first charms you'll be learning, that one."

Sev caught McGonagall shooting Uncle Elphie a look.

"Oh, fine. It's not too showy, not really. Simple spell, really, quite easy to use non-verbally."

McGonagall smiled, just a bit, before heading off. Sev and Lily went to follow, but were held back by Uncle Elphie.

"How about you meet us back here, Minnie? I want to show them Hogsmeade!" he called after her. Minerva hesitated briefly before nodding.

"Now, have either of you ever seen a wizarding village?"

**~x~x~**

Hogsmeade, it turned out, was the most amazing thing that Severus and Lily had ever seen. The cobblestone streets twisted and turned where you least expected, and whimsical buildings leant this way and that. Windows were filled with some of the most intriguing things they had ever seen. There was a sweet shop - Honeyduke's - that had gum that proclaimed the ability to blow unpoppable bubbles!

There was an owl post, a joke shop, book shops, supply shops, an apothecary, tea shops, at least one inn, and anything else that the two children could care to name.

They wandered for quite a while, roads leading them to places they hadn't expected stores to be. Lily liked hopping on uneven sets of stones in the road, and Severus was utterly captivated by the sheer number and variety of gas lights lining the streets. Owls flew by regularly, and Elphinstone took great joy pointing out the most popular stores and explaining what a great number of items were used for. Lily, as usual, was full of questions, and Severus took his time exploring, learning by seeing.

It didn't take him long to realize that they used quills, not pens and pencils, and that parchment was the norm here. Wizards and witches did not drive cars, nor did they use any sort of electricity. ("Eclec-tisty? What's that?")

He was rather fond of the differences in the wizarding world. Everyone so far was quite amiable, greeting everyone they could in the streets. There were groups of people of all sorts of ages and backgrounds gathered in groups, chatting the morning away. It was homely, trousers or not.

Lily's only complaint the entire morning had been that no one wore trousers. They were all wearing those dress things ("Robes, Lily! They're called _robes!_ "). Elphinstone had taken it all in stride, telling her that robes were traditional wizard wear, and that trousers were a very muggle idea. Not everyone was keen on keeping in with the muggles, see.

He didn't really seem to mind Lily's influx of questions. He told her that they used quills because they took effort, focus, and control, all three of which were necessary traits for students. How could one control all of that magic if they couldn't even write, after all? Severus didn't ask any questions, and he thought Elphinstone was probably glad of that. Lily asking questions was more than enough for one person to deal with. Instead, he took his answers where they came, making leaps and guesses that were right more often than not.

The best part of seeing the town, however, was not learning about the hows and whys of wizards. No, it was when Elphinstone took them to the far end of the town, and pointed them towards a large hill.

"Up there, on that hill, is the best school for witchcraft and wizardry to have ever existed. That castle there is Hogwarts."

Off in the distance, framed by noon sun and blue skies, was the biggest castle Severus had ever thought could exist. It had turrets and towers everywhere, with a grand door taller than at least four of his da. Lily said that it was elegant while Sev proclaimed that it was more regal than anything else. Both were correct.

The castle was massive, straight in some places, with tapering spires and a finely sloping roof, and surrounded on all but one side by forest. If he looked hard enough, Sev thought he could see a lake at the top of the hill. There was an incredible number of windows, there were parapets, some balconies, and what looked like a door that opened out onto a nonexistent platform of some sort. The only downside that could be found was that it looked… empty. There was no one about the school. When asked about it, Elphinstone merely shrugged.

"It's a boarding school, yes, but Hogwarts is not known for offering summer quarter. You two are some of the first in a very long time, and you're going to be the first children under school age to step foot into the castle."

Suddenly, exploring a castle with just Lily didn't seem like such an inviting idea.

**~x~x~**

Uncle Elphie was introducing Lily and Sev to the wonders of butterbeer when McGonagall found them. Lily was firing away questions about the different subjects Hogwarts had, with charms sounding like her eventual favorite. Sev thought that potions would be the most interesting of all the classes, himself. Aside from listening about the classes, Sev didn't listen much to the conversation. No, he was happy enough with the pleasant warm feeling the butterbeer gave him.

He'd been hesitant to drink it at first, needing assurance from both Uncle Elphie and Madam Rosmerta to convince him that it was not alcoholic before he had considered drinking it.

Lily had taken the first sip before quickly proclaiming that it was absolutely wonderful and that if Sev didn't want his she would happily take it. A small smile graced his lips at the thought. Of course Lily would do that. And then she'd do something like demand Uncle Elphie buy him a new, better drink. Lily was like that.

Sev was gently swishing his butterbeer about, well into thoughts of how interesting sisters were, when he had his first big scare in quite a few months.

"Might I ask what you're smiling about, Mr. Evans?" came a voice from just behind him.

Sev jumped in his seat, smacking his knee against the table in the process. _When did someone get behind me?_ He was quick to push himself back against Lily, who slid up onto the table to wrap a protective arm around him. His heart beat fast and hard against her arm. The few patrons in their company were all watching. Severus' eyes were wide in a mix of surprise and fear - like a rabbit, caught in oncoming traffic. Lily's own were set in a harsh glare.

McGonagall put her hands out slowly and steadily, showing him that she had nothing with which she could harm him. She looked just as terrified as Sev felt. He hadn't been taken by surprise in such a long time.

"Tis okay, laddie. Ah'ament aff tae hurt ye, okay? Ah didnae mean tae friten ye." Her burr was incredibly thick, and it was easy to tell she'd lost her control of it. "Please, dinnae be scared o' me, laddie."

Seconds stretched on into minutes, and Severus lost track of how long he'd been staring at the professor before he finally relaxed against Lily. His heart had stopped threatening to burst from his chest, and the time had let his anxiety quell enough for him to see some reason. Lily shot him a questioning glance. Sev nodded, scooting forward minutely, and Lily dropped her arm.

McGonagall visibly relaxed, her shoulders slumping as if some great weight had been taken from her. "A'm sae sorry, laddie. It wilnae happen again, ah swear."

Severus nodded his head hesitantly, just the once, before cracking a small smile. "Aunt Minnie, I can't understand Scottish very well, but I'm pretty sure you just apologised, so it's okay. I forgive you."

She stared at him open-mouthed before laughing. "Then ah will juist teach youu tae blether lik' a true scot!" With that, she reached into the booth and scooped Severus up, hugging him tight.

If anyone asked, he wouldn't admit it, but he hugged her back just as tight. _I hope Aunt Minnie stays my aunt. She's got the best hugs._

**~x~x~**

Lily was certain that portkeys had been made to be as uncomfortable and disorienting as they possibly could. Nothing else could explain why it was so hard to ever land without stumbling ("Sev, don't laugh! Even Uncle Elphie stumbles a bit!") and why it had that awful, _blasted_ tug behind her navel. _I'll get about everywhere purely by walking if I really have to, just watch me._ The feeling of being violently ripped through space by some old cup did not, however, stop her from staring in amazement at the Alley that stretched out around her. She was about to launch a rapid fire question session when Aunt Minnie grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the way just as a couple holding a glass egg popped into existence. _Oops._

"This is an apparation point, lass, best not to wait about."

Lily full heartedly agreed. She didn't particularly want to know what would have happened if she'd stayed put there a second too long. She shook her head to clear the thought as Aunt Minnie lead her to the end of the little platform. There were people waiting around and chatting, just like they had in Hogsmeade. The robes had a wider variety, and so did the people, but it wasn't too much different from there. Not really. Maybe a little more crowded? The buildings leant at extreme angles, some had odd shapes and platforms, and all of them had windows full of various things. Beyond the overly extreme angles and amounts of people, though, it was ju-

Lily felt her draw drop open as her gaze settled on the far end of the alley. There, with quite the amount of people milling about, was an extravagantly built… bank? It looked like a bank. Carved out purely in white and gold, it stood heads above the rest of the alley. It shone. It was pristine. Enchanting. Lily didn't look away until Severus pinched her arm smartly.

"Oi!" she snapped.

"If you had been listening, as some of us are prone to do, Lils, you would know that that's Gringotts. It's a goblin run bank, and we're going there," he informed her, grinning slightly.

Her eyes went wide. "Goblins? Real ones? In a bank?" She looked up at Aunt Minnie to confirm this. The nod she got in return set her overly excitable blood on high.

Sev grabbed her arm - probably to keep from running off without the rest of them. _Smart one, he is._

After a bit of discussing which places needed to be visited - Eeylops, Amanuensis, Madam Malkin's, Gringotts, Potage's, Slug and Jigger's, and Flourish and Blotts - they set off. First stop, Gringotts.

**~x~x~**

Severus and Lily reached a mutual decision that if Gringotts was amazing from afar, it was simply wondrous up close. It was surrounded by buildings that had been set wherever they could be placed, but it ruled over them; It's presence was a towering one. It was tall and proud, immune to the same dirt and grit that its neighbouring cobblestones were subject to. Its splendor was even richer inside, with painting and sconces decorating the walls. There were benches that Severus suspected were covered in velvet and wonderful vases depicting everything from flowers to dragons to orderly patterns. The floor was of a rich, black marble, flecked with gold.

Carvings rose from the floor, towering high above the bank's patrons. No one was all too sure if the were wood or stone. Either way, they were exquisite, reaching the ceiling and continuing onto them, forming elegant swirls and patterns. A closer look at the ones on the wall further revealed tiny carvings that seemed to depict stories. Here a dragon, there an old wizard. There was a princess over there, and a knight just below her. Sev could only imagine how many stories lie in the carvings at Gringotts.

While Severus couldn't tear his eyes from the minute details of the carvings, Lily was watching the goblins in amazement. They were short, just a little shorter than Sev right then, and quite pale. They had beady eyes and long, sharp noses. They looked quite smart and professional, dressed in a various robes and suits. They carried themselves with pride, dealing with things in quite the effective manner.

Lily would have continued staring, but Aunt Minnie and Uncle Elphi were shooing her and Sev up to a large set of silver doors. Engraved in beautiful script was a sort of poem:

_"Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there."_

Lily turned her face up at the professor, brows knitting together. "Are they serious, Aunt Minnie?"

The only reply McGonagall gave her before sending them through the door was a sharp "Deadly."

**~x~x~**

Sev figured that if it wasn't for how tall she was, Aunt Minnie would have been a fantastic goblin. Both were orderly and prompt. Neither fooled about. Both took their responsibilities quite seriously. A perfect goblin, just the wrong size.

They were waiting in line at one of the many desks throughout the grand hall, just behind another family, who were arguing quite adamantly that they were _not_ behind on their loan repayment. Uncle Elphie had his hands behind his back, staring at the ceiling as he rocked back and forth on his heels. Aunt Minnie would have looked patient if she hadn't been glaring daggers at the woman in front of her.

Sev nearly flinched when she raised her voice.

"Check the papers again! We paid! The exact amount, right on time!" she screeched.

The goblin at the desk flipped through the parchments quickly before shaking his head. "There is no record of payment, Missus Parkinson. I am very sorry. Payment is due in the next two weeks if you would prefer to avoid any additional… fees." His sneer was palpable.

The unholy screeching of hers picked up another octave. "Then the records are wrong! Merlin knows one of you failed to file it correctly or even write it down! Just trying to swindle us of our hard earned galleons! Filthy, greedy goblins!"

 _This is hysterical, right? That word definitely applies to this lady. Quite the fright, she is._ (Lily later told him that he was thinking histrionic, not hysterical, and couldn't he bother to look at a dictionary?)

He suspected that the woman was going to continue her screeching at any moment, but the goblin cut her short. The halls reverberated with a _BANG_ as something hit the desk in front of them. Everyone else around them fell quiet.

"Missus Eloise Parkinson, nee Yaxley, second-born daughter of Renault and Theodora Yaxley, arranged wife of a one Lord Emerson Parkinson, first son of Gabriel and Alexandrina Parkinson, and mother to one son, Heir Weston Parkinson. On this the date March the 15th of the year 1986, your husband and yourself took out a ten thousand galleon loan under previously made arrangements for interest rates and payment dates. This loan was then used to purchase a large cottage just outside of St. Catherine's, Scotland. Your stated reason for the loan and movement of your home was that you wished to start up a new life for your nearly school aged son. What I do believe you failed to mention, Missus Parkinson, was that your husband's business had recently gone bankrupt, and that the two of you and your son were moving somewhere in which no one had heard of the very corrupt and broke and now defunct arguers office previously known as Parkinson and Avery, Arguers." The goblin had gone red in the face at this point, and Sev would have bet money that the couple standing in front of them were paler than fresh snow right then. "As of this the date July the 1st of the year 1988, you are four months behind on your payments to Gringotts. If you do not pay by the next arranged date, currently set to this the date July the 15th of the year 1988, Gringotts will take it as a forfeit of assets and wilful business, thereforth barring yourselves and the next three generations of your descendants from doing business with and within any and all Gringotts branches. Do. I. Make. Myself. _Clear?_ " The goblin, shouting at this point, punctuated every word of the question with a vicious point of the finger in her direction.

Mrs. Parkinson nodded shortly before pulling a small cloth bag from her robe. Her wand, clearly shaking, was waved over it quickly, causing it to stretch and grow. Severus could hear the clink of coin from where he stood.

The goblin smiled widely, putting all of his sharp teeth on display. "Gringotts is glad that the Parkinson family has seen reason. We will see you in two weeks, Lord, Madam. May your vaults flow freely with gold."

There was a terse nod from , who muttered a quick "May your enemies cower beneath you, in death as in life." He was rewarded with another toothy smile before marching out, arm tight around his wife's waist.

To the side, Sev could see Aunt Minnie readying herself for a rant, only to be saved by the goblin in front of them.

"Next!"

The four of them all shuffled forward, Lily and Sev tucked between Minerva and Elphinstone. It was Minerva who spoke.

"Greetings, Urkutt. May your enemies scream beneath your blade." Sev was starting to get the distinct idea that goblins liked money and battle.

"Greetings, Miss McGonagall. May your gold never run low." Heads were nodded, seeing the proprieties done.

"Urkutt, I need two new accounts made for these children. Vaults, inheritance tests, titles, and genealogies. The Evans family needs establishment," McGonagall informed the goblin. He nodded before hopping down out of his seat.

"The young lord and lady will follow me. I would invite you, Miss McGonagall and Lord Urquart, with us, but Gringotts rules say that I cannot. You are not of blood, and as such cannot be there for the establishment of a new house. You understand, yes?" They nodded, before gently nudging the children forward.

_What in the bloody hell…?_

**~x~x~**

Lily and Sev were sure they had never been through anything like this before, and that they probably never would again.

Urkutt was standing before them with two other goblins, both of whom carried some rather large stacks of parchment. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he looked quite serious. "The establishment of a family is a long process, but one we will do very thoroughly. This will happen in a number of parts, and I will do my best to explain every step to you as we come to them. The very first thing we need to do is an inheritance ritual, to see if either of you have any magical relatives, if you are listed as part of any other families, and if you have any waiting inheritances. This will also help us gather a full genealogy if you do. Now-"

_Lily, for Pete's sake, can you not hold in your questions?_

"Sev's got magic family, you know. His mum was a witch." Lily told him, looking like she'd done her duty.

"Ah, yes," Urkutt started, taking in Sev's appearance. "A bit short for your age, aren't you? Short, but still lean. That hair of yours could come from a number of families. Thick and black, there's no shortage of that here. Nice, straight nose there. It'll probably be well set and aqualine when you grow. Narrows it down some. Dark eyes. Common enough, that, as is that slight yellow tinge to your skin. You could be a Burke, a Black, or even a Crouch. However, I'd put money towards Rowle or Prince." Sev flinched, just barely. "Prince it is, then." Urkutt gave a quick little laugh. "A half-blood Prince. Your ancestors would be positively… _charmed_."

Sev's face pulled itself into a scowl, which only served to make Urkutt laugh more.

"No offence to you, Master Evans. It's simply that the Prince family is notorious for despising anything that isn't ancient, pure, and of the wizarding world. It has more to do with your mother than yourself, I assure you. Now! Hopefully you have noticed the silver boxes on my desk. You will need to drop a hair in it, and prick your finger on a needle in the box. These boxes are enchanted to go back past the time of the founders and attempt to find any family that carries a magical or genealogic signature near to your own. Reports will appear on my desk, declaring how you hold up against every possible match. After this, I will teach you a spell that will let you release a burst of magical energy into the box. This will narrow down the results more, giving us an accurate reading of any possible relatives, titles, holdings, and inheritances. Understood?"

Sev nodded. For as much as Urkutt could talk, he didn't leave much to question. He glanced at Lily briefly and had to bite back a groan. _Unless you were Lily bloody Evans._

"Yes, Miss Evans?"

"Sir, why do you need blood _and_ magic? Couldn't the box use just one?" Lily's brows had knitted themselves together, but Urkutt just smiled.

"Right you are, Miss Evans. However, in the magical world there are more ways to make someone family than you would think. These boxes are designed to detect all of the known ones, ensuring that everyone gets what they are entitled to. No more, no less," he told her. His voice had taken on a more scholarly tone at this point. "The boxes are goblin made and enchanted, and they have to be updated all the time. No one knows the original enchantments that make them work, or how they do it. But they do their job flawlessly, and as such we don't question them."

Lily nodded once, seemingly satisfied with the answer. Thank _god._

Urkutt urged them up towards his desk, and the other two goblins followed to place their stacks of parchment on the desk before heading to the back of the room. Soon enough, Lily and Sev were seated, with a silver box each. Urkutt waved his hand over them, causing them to glow briefly.

"When I tell you to, I need you to pluck a head from your head. I will open the boxes for you."

Nods from both Lily and Sev _. So. Much. Nodding._

There was a silent count before Urkutt flicked his finger at the boxes, causing their lids to rise. "Now!"

Lily's hair went in first, with Sev's stubborner hair following shortly after. The boxes glowed again, the light stronger this time. Another silent count, lids kept open, and Urkutt motioned them to ready their hands.

"This will sting, and you'd be better to just get it over with. When I tell you, do _not_ dally."

Urkutt kept his count silent again, before he gave them a quick "Now!"

Sev didn't know how Lily would go about this, but he chose to just jamb his hand straight onto the needle. A peek to his left told him that Lily had done the same.

There was a rustle as two more stacks of parchment started to stack themselves on Urkutt's desk. To his surprise, the one on Lily's side grew just as much as his did.

"Wha-" he started before Urkutt raised his hand, effectively cutting him off.

"In a moment, you will need to wave your hand over the box and say _effundo vis_. Roughly translated, that means to pour forth energy, which is exactly what you'll do. We will have time to discuss things privately afterward. Ah, yes, please say the spell now."

Sev and Lily's spells were perfect echoes of the other's. The room was washed in light briefly before the lids of the boxes snapped closed. Papers piled up on Urkutt's desk faster now, and it took a whole two minutes for them to stop.

"Now, you two are going to have separate meetings with Grinrod and Flaskar. They will manage your personal affairs under my supervision, as I will be the goblin in charge of the Evans estate."

The goblins from before stepped forward, grabbing their respective stacks of parchment and signalling the children to follow them.

_Urkutt is definitely all business._

**~x~x~**

Severus and Lily had been led into an anteroom by Grinrod and Flaskar.

Grinrod, the one with Sev's papers, asked if they wanted to deal with this separately, something that both children declined. With that, the goblins pulled up chairs and dug into the papers, quickly sorting them into two separate stacks.

"Most of these," Flaskar told them, "are completely useless and just tell us who you aren't related to. Others tell us that you are, or that there's a particular inheritance for you. Like this one here." Said paper was quickly sorted, and Sev noticed that Lily's stack of confirming papers was just as large as his was, and a knot started to build in his stomach. _There's no magic in Lily's family, so why are there so many of those papers?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you don't mind the cliffhanger! Though, there's a not so subtle hint or two that should give away the answer to Sev's question.


	6. Of Slytherins and Evans'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The continuation and end of the events in Gringotts. Who knew Urkutt could talk so much???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter for the wonderful Piffy (the longest yet!), whose comments continue to make smile! Thank you so much to you all for reading, bookmarking, subscribing, commenting, and leaving kudos. You all inspire me to keep pumping out chapters.

_There's no magic in Lily's family, so why are there so many of those papers?_

Severus might have had more papers than Lily did overall, but her amount of confirmatory papers stayed consistent with his own, and confusion wound itself around that knot deep in his gut.

 _There's no magic in Lily's family_ , he told himself again. The stack of parchment called him a liar, exposed his denial.

_Lily's family is magic._

He looked over at Lily, who had the most stunned expression on her face. As if she had expected this less than Sev had. This was definitely going to be a weird day.

Eventually they were done, with only about twenty confirmatory papers between them. Grinrod and Flaskar asked if they still wanted to do their meetings together, and Sev's only answer was to reach over and grab Lily's hand. She gave his a tentative squeeze in return.

He didn't register being ushered back into the office and into his seat, the odd look that Urkutt gave him, or Lily occasionally squeezing his hand again. None of it got through to him, not really. Instead, he focused on the far wall, where he could swear the carvings on one of the large columns made a larger carving of a dragon. _Huh…_ Reality snapped against his awareness like a rubber band that had been pulled too taut when Urkutt started talking. _Get it together, Sev. It's just a family, and she wouldn't know any of them, anyways._

"- Evans, let's begin with your confirmations, shall we?" Lily's papers were shuffled about in front of him. "On this the date July the first of the year 1988, Lily Heather Evans is found to be the last living descendant of Salazar Slytherin." Urkutt lost his composure, the papers he held dropping just as far as his jaw had.

Sev knew who Slytherin was, of course, but if the death grip on his hand was anything to go by, he had to be a bit more composed than she was right now. "Lils!" he snapped, shaking her hand just a bit. "Lils, he's a wizarding bloke from almost a thousand years ago. It's not like he left a letter for his dear fifty times great granddaughter."

Lily just nodded absently, and Sev could feel a frown start to worm its way onto his face. "Lils. Dead guy. A whole thousand years. What's that look for?"

"I- I didn't- Wasn't this supposed to be… Sev, you're the one with magic family! I wasn't supposed to…" Lily's sentences kept starting and stopping, as if none of the words she found were quite right. There was a long pause. "I thought we were the only magic in my family, Sev."

Sev gave her a gentle smile. He wasn't entirely sure why she was so upset. It wasn't like there was anything wrong with having magical family members from a whole millennia ago, and he was certain she didn't know who Salazar Slytherin had been. There wasn't really a reason for her to be upset, not one that he knew of. So he just rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in slow, little circles. "It's okay, Lils. Nothing wrong with you having magic family, too, silly."

He kept rubbing those little circles, like he usually did when she was upset over something, and eventually she relaxed, slouching just a bit in her chair.

"Right." With that, she turned back to look at Urkutt. "Alright then, Urkutt. Slytherin? Who was he?"

The goblin had the most incredulous look on his face, probably forgetting that Lily _was_ a muggleborn. He stared for a good minute before shaking himself out of it, his previous business-like demeanour settling back into place. "Salazar Slytherin was one of the four founders of the wizarding school known as Hogwarts. You should know about this school, seeing as Minerva McGonagall brought you here." He didn't even wait for them to confirm this before continuing on. "Hogwarts was founded around 990 AD by the four strongest witches and wizards of the age. Godric Gryffindor was strong and the bravest of them all, but he was also known for being quite stubborn and foolhardy. There was Rowena Ravenclaw, the brightest of all four. Her wit was sharp and her knowledge vast, but it was known to go to her head every now and then. People now would have called her a know it all, I believe. Helga Hufflepuff was the third of the founders. She was kind and loyal, soft spoken, hard working and fair. A mother and friend to all who knew her. There was a tendency, one she would viciously disprove, to believe that these things meant she was a bit of a pushover or a coward. Salazar Slytherin, whom you are descended from, was sharp and cunning, full of ambition. He could manipulate and sneak better than anyone ever could, and things had a way of favouring him in some way or another. These four founded Hogwarts, looking to educate the magical youth around them. I would tell you more, but I believe that's a job your current caretakers could do much better than I." The papers on his desk were shuffled about before he picked them back up.

"Now, Miss Evans, let's see what else we have here. Yes, yes. One this the date July the first of the year 1988, Lily Heather Evans is found to be the last living descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Lily Heather Evans is of distant relation to the Black, Gaunt, Avery, Rosier, Selwyn, and Yaxley lines." Those two particular papers were moved off to the side, leaving five more in her stack. "On this the date July the first of the year 1988, Lily Heather Evans will, upon taking the mantle of Lady Slytherin, will receive the title and all rights accompanying it, including the location of the Lost Slytherin Manor, 10 Wizengamot seats, and Power of Consideration over the families of Black, Rosier, Avery, Selwyn, and Yaxley - all of which find their origins in the Slytherin line." One more paper down. "Lily Heather Evans will receive ownership of vault 1534, containing and unnamed inheritance left by Audric Slytherin, the last to hold the mantle of Lord Slytherin. Lily Heather Evans will receive all assets and inheritances of the now extinct Most Ancient House of Gaunt. Lily Heather Evans will gain ownership of vault number 2074 and all of the contents there within. Lily Heather Evans will receive a monthly allowance of 750 galleons, as is her right to claim as Lady Slytherin. Lily Heather Evans will receive a head of family allowance of 150 galleons every month until such a time comes that she has either married or acquired a job with a pay rate of 100 galleons monthly or greater."

With that, Lily's stack was done, and a cursory glance told Sev that Urkutt was doing them a favour and telling them the extreme basics. He didn't have to look at Lily to know that her eyes had gone wide. Her grip on his hand told him that well enough.

There were eleven papers in Sev's stack, which surprised him. He wanted to ask, but he knew they would be going over them soon.

Urkutt picked up Sev's papers before shuffling them about neatly and clearing his throat. "On this the date July the first of the year 1988, Severus Tobias Evans is hereby relinquished of direct ties to the Ancient and Noble House of Prince. A good thing, I assure you. Severus Tobias Evans will receive the future mantle of Lord Evans. Severus Tobias Evans will receive a monthly allowance of 200 galleons in the name of Eileen Prince, an inheritance left to him by Alexandra Flint. Severus Tobias Evans will receive a monthly allowance of 100 galleons in the name of Eileen Prince, an inheritance left to him by Evangeline Burke. Severus Tobias Evans will receive a monthly allowance of 200 galleons in the name of Eileen Prince, a combined inheritance left to him by Pomona Sprout and Minerva McGonagall." This time, his grip was the one to tighten. _Why are all of these people giving me money? Why is Aunt Minnie one of them?_ "Severus Tobias Evans will receive ownership of vault number 864 and all contents there within. Severus Tobias Evans will receive ownership of vault number 827 and all contents there within. Severus Tobias Evans will receive a family severance allowance of 1000 galleons, to be distributed over the course of the next year. Severus Tobias Evans will receive a head of family allowance of 150 galleons every month until such a time comes that he has either married or acquired a job with a pay rate of 100 galleons monthly or greater. Severus Tobias Evans will receive, upon his acceptance of the mantle of Lord Evans, a plot of land suitable for the building of a manor - as the Evans Manor was burnt to ash long ago - and four Wizengamot seats."

Urkutt held one piece of parchment in his hands now. "This one is one that we may choose to ignore. If you agree with it, then I will read its statement aloud, making it true. If not, it will find its home in a fire and we will not speak of it again." Lily nodded her head slowly, and Sev looked at the paper, quite wary of it. "This paper, if you choose to make it true, would make the Evans line subject to the Slytherin line, as it was originally descended from said line. This would, Lord Evans, give the future Lady Slytherin Power of Consideration over you, meaning she would be able to overrule you in any official means with little to no reason, seize your assets, and would make you her scion." Urkutt's lips were tugging down at the corners, and Sev knew that his were, too.

Lily was immediately on her feet. "No! No no no! That bloody paper can piss off! And so can that other one! _That's_ what Power of Consideration is? You gave me that over five families?! FIVE! I don't want it! No no no!" She was screeching, voice raising in octaves. The room about them shook ominously. " _Take! It! Back!_ I don't want to make a whole bunch of families serve me! They have lives and free will and the right to make their own decisions! You can't just up and tell me, your ruddy goblin, that I can just step in with some weird, fancy name and decide that they can't do what they want anymore!" Smoke was starting to rise off of Urkutt's desk. _Those two papers…_

" _You were going to let me do that to_ _ **Sev**_ _!"_

The shaking had picked up quite a bit, and the atmosphere was near unbearable. Something, something more there than the air itself, was pushing down on all of them. It felt as if it was trying to drive all of the air out of the room. Wind gusted about the corners. Sparks flew above their heads, and Sev was scared.

Urkutt was panicking. He was waving his his hand over the papers, trying to stop the smouldering.

Lily's eyes cut over to the goblin sharply, and the papers went up in flames, leaving a single half of paper to fall to the floor in front of Severus. He promptly ignored it in favour of grabbing a hold of Lily's arm. In response, she turned her glare to him. It hurt him, seeing her look at him like that, but he knew this wasn't Lily. _This isn't Lily. It's not her._ Over and over again, like a mantra.

Sev tugged on her arm, gently at first, but she didn't budge. Eventually, he set his determination firmly and place and pulled at her arms as hard as he could. It must have caught her unawares, because she tumbled right over. He took her in his arms, hugging her as tight as he could.

They just sat like that for a while, the storm and Urkutt's panic raging on. Sev did his best to keep himself wrapped around Lily, which wasn't too easy. She _was_ bigger than him, after all. He had lost track of time when the storm started to ebb, and he smiled to himself.

"He was giving us a choice, Lils. He should have given you one with the other families, yes, but he gave us one. He wasn't going to make you do it, Lils. And you would have said no anyways. You're good like that," he whispered. "He gave us a choice, and you would have said no."

Lily nodded against his shoulder, which had started to feel wet, and the room settled back into rightness with a snap. It looked like nothing had ever happened, save the little pile of ashes and the paper at Sev's feet.

He sat back, letting Lily go back to her own seat. He definitely did _not_ see Lily wiping away tears.

The paper in front of him caught his attention, and he handed it back to Urkutt, who proceeded to give them a rather toothy grin.

"On this the date July the first of the year 1988, Lily Heather Evans, future Lady Slytherin, has rescinded all Power of Consideration."

**~x~x~**

The next bit of the visit was much less eventful.

Lily and Sev both used three drops of blood to confirm all of their inheritances, and Urkutt gave the both scrolls with full genealogies ("In case you ever get bored or feel like lording your family over someone. Apparently it can be quite entertaining to see a brat's face go white when you tell them who you are.")

Quite boring.

After that, Grinrod and Flaskar left the office out a backdoor, only to return with two small chests.

"In these chests," Urkutt started, "Are some things the both of you will need. We're being saved time by the fact that both of your families have previously existed. No crests to make nor rings to design. No, instead, everything has already been made, long ago." He waved his hand at the other two goblins, signalling them to open the chests.

The first thing Lily and Sev were handed was a parchment each. Lily's was adorned with variations of a rich green, quilted shield, emblazoned with a silver snake. Some of them had long lengths of filigree, others were set in circles, and others yet had signature lines attached. The larger ones were accompanied by a banner with the line " _Flectere Si Nequeo Superos, Acheronta Movebo._ "

Sev's own variety of crests were largely similar, the only difference being the crest and motto themselves. The body of the shield was a quilted, deep purple that reminded him of eggplants. Set in the face of the shield was a fox on its hindlegs, with what looked like a crown atop its head, emblazoned on the shield in a rich copper. There were gold accents, and the banner beneath it read " _Per aspera ad astra._ "

"These," Urkutt started, "Are the emblems of your houses. You will be given a pamphlet on what each is used for, no worries. In these chests you already have the appropriate coloured wax blocks, to be melted onto a letter over candle fire, letter heads, and various stationaries. To request more, simply send a letter to Ephraim's Social Elite store in the Allée des Merveilles. Any owl will be able to find it. Now, before you ask, those banners hold your family's motto. Lady Slytherin, yours means 'If I cannot move heaven, I will bend hell.' Reportedly, Salazar Slytherin was rather fond of this quote. Lord Evans, yours roughly translates to 'Through thorns, the stars.' The original Evans family thought it quite fitting, as they began as struggling astronomers."

Sev smirked. _In surviving hardships, you achieve great things. How fitting._

They were handed a thick pamphlet by Grinrod and Flaskar, followed by what Sev thought was in inkwell. His was copper while Lily's was silver. On one side he could see the Evans family crest. He looked up at Urkutt, who simply shrugged.

"Some of the older families prefer having their names on everything. Now," Grinrod and Flaskar pulled a pair of keys out for each of them. "These keys are to the vaults you gained in your inheritances, and will have a new one added when you get your personal vaults. You would have two new ones, but it isn't necessary. Neither of your families is new, not in this sense. Ah, last but not least, are your sets of regalia. First, cloaks."

Sev wasn't sure how the cloak had fit in the small chest, or how it got to be as soft it was, but he wasn't about to question it. The cloaks were both black velvet. They would be heavy and warm, he knew. His cloak was lined with rich, purple silk, and stitched together with copper thread. He didn't have to look over at Lily's to know hers would be similarly done in green and silver. The family crest, motto and all, sat proudly on one of the breasts.

"If you would stand and don them, they are charmed to always fit. They are impervious, with dragonhide between the velvet and silk. The silk is woven from the finest Acromantula webbing. No charms, jinxes, hexes, or curses will get through it, with the exception of the unforgivable and other such spells." He waited for Sev and Lily to put on the cloaks, which shrunk quickly to give them a perfect fit.

Sev had to bite back a chuckle, because silver was _not_ a flattering colour on her.

He was wondering how he himself looked when Grinrod set a heavy golden ring in his hand.

"These rings need to be on your person at all times. When you first put them on, you will be tied into your family's magic, and you will be able to draw on it any time you need to help power spells, set wards, and protect your loved ones. Do _not_ let another wear it, not until you pass on your mantle. It will always fit you. You shall never have to worry about it being too big or too tight. Perfect sizing is one of its enchantments. If you wish, you may wear it on a chain, letting you hide it from prying eyes."

Lily and Sev exchanged a look. Did they really want to have people seeing the rings and making assumptions? They shook their heads in perfect time. No. No, they didn't.

"As I thought," Urkutt said. He waved his hand at Grinrod and Flaskar, who passed them long chains.

Sev made quick work of setting his unsized ring on the chain, putting it on, and hiding it behind his shirt. To his side, Lily did the same.

Grinrod and Flaskar closed the chests and left. Urkutt waited until they left the office before opening one of his desk drawers. He had to lean over to pull out whatever his goal was, but he was standing again soon enough. There were two simple cloth bags in his hands. They were set on the desk, and a wave of the hand had one in Slytherin green, with silver drawstrings. Lily's. The other was that same purple with copper cords.

_Everything is family themed, eh?_

Urkutt tossed them the bags and got right into talking again. "These bags will carry anything you would like. They never run out of space, and have a way of knowing exactly what it is you're looking for. They're old enough that no one even remembers what they're called. Most heads of ancient families have them, passed through the generations. Others have tried making them, but there's always a limitation on space. Quite popular with young witches and wizards these days. Now, if you would put your new things in your bags, we have vaults to visit." He continued to talk while Lily and Sev were putting their things in their new bags. "We'll start with establishing your personal vaults. Anything you want from your other vaults may be moved there if you wish them to be, and all of your allowances will go to your personal vaults. When we're finished, I will give you one of our newest creations to help ensure you need not carry about all your money."

He was turning to walk away when Lily started asking more questions. "Wait! We brought muggle money with us! What do we do with it?"

The goblin dismissed her question with a wave of the hand. "When your vaults are picked, I'll give you the equivalent amount of galleons." And that was that. He started walking towards the office's backdoor, and Lily and Sev followed, bags swinging from their belt loops.

**~x~x~**

The ride through the mines was much, much more enjoyable than portkeying. The rails took wild turns and loops, and was outrageously fast. Both children held fast to the cart, screaming in excitement whenever they had the breath.

The brake system, however, was about as enjoyable as portkeying. The cart went from its extreme speeds to an abrupt stop in just a second, shooting Lily and Sev forward in their seats.

"Oof!" was a mutual reaction. They were rubbing at their stomachs, where a charm had gripped them tight to keep them from flying away.

Urkutt, in his damned everything is business demeanour, got up and out of the cart with ease, striding over to the door they had stopped in front of. "That cart is leaving soon," he called over his shoulder. Lily and Sev were up in a heartbeat.

The door was a large, wrought iron thing, with the number 715 carved in the keystone above it.

Sev looked at it, questions obvious on his face.

"Urkutt, sir, whose vault is this one? You didn't say before," he finally asked. The goblin shrugged.

"Whichever of you would like it. Number 714 is for the other one of you."

Sev went to push Lily to the door, but she beat him to it. She had her hand against his back, roughly shoving him forward.

"You're the oldest, you get it," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. You just wanna make sure nothing weird happens don't you?"

"Nuh uh! I'm just saying the the oldest gets the honour!"

"Or you could just be being a chicken?"

Urkutt must have had an infinite amount of patience, with how long that sat there bickering and sticking their tongues out. Eventually, though, it was a contest of who could hold their tongues out the longest, and Urkutt's patience ran out.

The goblin cleared his throat rather loudly, getting their attention. "If one of you would be so kind?" he asked, gesturing towards to the door.

Sev looked over towards Lily, who gave a forcible sigh. "Fiiiine."

She marched over to the door, where Urkutt instructed her to place her palm against the door and use the spell he had taught them earlier.

The door was still for a moment after Lily's spell, before it started to tremor. The iron started to twist itself; lilies rose and bloomed at the bottom, giving way to a doe, while birds spread their wings at the top.

"I think it likes you, Lady Slytherin," Urkutt told her with a wide grin. He held out his hand, and a little iron key popped into existence, topped with yet another lily. Lily took it from him, returning his grin.

Sev was about to ask where she was supposed to put the key when a split opened down the length of the door, revealing a keyhole in the middle of the doe's body. _Apparently, there._ Lily opened the door, and he started to wonder what his own was going to look like. What could it possibly choose to put on itself? It would be empty inside, no doub-

"Sev! Sev look at all of this gold!" Sev jumped just a little, looking over at the vault. He knew somehow that he wasn't about to be able to step inside, but he could still look. There, just across from the door, was stone table laden with gold coins.

"Urkutt, I thought these were our new vaults? New _unused_ vaults." Sev put heavy emphasis on the unused part.

"Yes, Lord Evans. New and unused. Your first allowances have already been deposited." Sev noticed that the goblin hadn't stepped inside the vault yet. "As of right now, Lady Slytherin has a total of 900 galleons in her personal vault. If she would be so kind as to give me her 200 pounds, it would be brought up to 940 galleons, 2 sickles, and 21 knuts. _Before_ you ask, there are 29 bronze knuts to a silver sickle and 17 silver sickles to one gold galleon. You, Lord Evans, will have 873 galleons, eight sickles, and 10 knuts after converting _your_ 200 pounds." He motioned for Lily to pass him the notes for the pounds, to which she obliged. The goblin clapped them between his hands rather harshly. When he opened his hands back up, there was nothing there. Just a moment after, there was a large clatter in the vault.

"Sev! Sev there's more coins! Sev, look what magic does!" Lily shouted from her vault.

Sev's own vault, in turn, wasn't quite so exciting since they knew what to expect. His own door was much plainer than Lily's, bringing forth a single osprey, flying above a full moon set amongst a sea of stars. The matching key was topped by a large, singular star. Inside, it was exactly the same as his sister's, save for the fact that he had a few less coins than she did.

"There's bound to be more in your other vaults, which we will start visiting right away." And Urkutt whisked them away.

**~x~x~**

Because they were on the level right below them, Severus' two vaults were first in the visit. Vault number 827 was up first.

It was a grand, stately thing, adorned only by a large cauldron over frozen flames. He assumed that the key was the one with the flask on it.

He went to open it, getting so far as putting his hand against the biting cold of the thick iron door, when Urkutt put his hand on his shoulder.

Sev turned to face him only to find the goblin frowning.

"I don't know what lies in wait for you in this vault, Lord Evans. It was previously owned by your mother. Shortly before being disowned, she sent us that key, telling Gringotts to lock it up and keep it safe. She said that some day it would be for the child she was carrying. I'm not saying that your mother would leave a trap for you, young Lord, but no one has known what sits in their since your mother sealed it up nine years ago." He kept frowning, but he let Severus go, choosing to head back to where Lily was waiting. "If there's anything you would like to keep, place your palm against it and say the number of the vault you wish it to go to. Gringotts' enchantments will take it there."

Sev gave him a small nod, more for his own sake than Urkutt's.

 _She left me a vault._ There was a touch of fleeting hope before he smushed it down violently. _She left me a vault and didn't bother to see that I live long enough to get to it._

He jammed the key into the lock with force and clumsiness, full well planning to trash it in its entirety. The door opened just enough for him to slip in, closing it behind him.

The vault was bigger than his personal one, probably because of the sheer amount of things it held. Torches lined the walls, casting eerie shadows amongst the vault's contents. He was about to get around to kicking and screaming when something caught his eye. A bassinet.

 _Someone_ has _been in here._ More specifically, his mother. And if she hadn't visited, she had found herself a way to send things straight into her vault.

A careful glance revealed more things. There was a painted bookcase there, and an enchanted mobile. He saw the small stuffed owl he had had until he was five, before it had mysteriously vanished. Children's books lined the bookshelf, and he went to investigate them first.

There were tales he knew off the top of his head from how often Eileen had read them to him, and others he didn't recognise. He set the ones he didn't know in a stack. There were ones simply titled 'Fairy Tales' and 'Children's Stories,' and others with names like 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' and 'The Toadstool Tales.' He wanted to get a better look at them. He didn't remember ever having them when he was younger, and he figured he should. It wasn't as if he'd ever had much. When his stack was finished, it held a wide assortment. Lower shelves he hadn't seen at first held journals and textbooks, all filled with his mother's elegant cursive. He kept telling himself that he wanted to know what they were about, that maybe they would teach him something, denying that he wanted them more or less just to see what Eileen had written. He put his hand on top of the finished stack, whispering a quick "vault 714." He was surprised that it actually worked.

 _Wait, why wouldn't it? You're_ magic _Sev, why would a spell not work?_

He shook his head, getting back to work. His old owl went to the new vault, followed by a small stack of presents, all covered in faded wrapping paper. "To: Severus" was written across them all. There was a small wooden chest full of coin that he quickly counted. 128 galleons, 4 sickles, and 19 knuts were added to his vault.

A larger, sturdier chest lay beneath a table. The chest had 5 removable compartments, all filled with different things. Sev pulled them all out and sat down to get to work.

The first and shallowest of them held two stacks of papers. One stack was all about Eileen. There was a birth record, with a hasty signature, and slightly smudged hand and foot prints. The paper was curling at the edges, and the writing had faded since its creation 35 years ago, but it held fast to the memory of his mother's birth. Underneath it were a variety of things. There was her medical history, which Severus sent to his vault, her first Hogwarts letter, her OWL scores - _why's there a test called an owl?_ \- and her NEWTs - _why are all these tests named after animals?_ \- and a letter inviting her to gain her mastery in potions somewhere in New Zealand. Those were all put back hastily. He felt like he didn't have a right to know this side of his mother. She'd hidden it from him for a reason, after all.

The other stack was all about Severus. There was his birth record and medical records (kept), a pregnancy announcement, and photos. There were so many. There were ultrasounds that moved, and others that didn't. They progressed from barely there blob, to this thing that looked like a dinosaur, to a little baby Severus. There was one of his parents holding him. His first bath. His first birthday. His first steps, his first cake. Stumbling around with Eileen. Sev didn't bother to look through the rest. He put them back in the container before shoving it across the floor.

The second container out of the box was heavy and padded, filled with bottles and bottles of things like bat wings and cerberus slobber and diced slug. Disgust won out, and the container joined the first across the floor.

The next held three boxes. One was of tarnished silver and held a fine mirror set in gold, with a matched comb and brush. He sent that to his vault. _I'll give it to Lily for her birthday. I bet she'd like it._ Box number two was plainer, holding a small stash of money. 30 more galleons and 7 sickles to his name. The third box he also kept to give to Lily. There wasn't anything in it, but it was a delicate looking thing, gold filigree on white porcelain, and lined with soft blue felt. he had a feeling she would like it.

He had to adjust himself at this point. The vault's cold floor was starting to hurt his knees. He went to grab the fourth compartment a lot faster, the eerie echoes in the vault getting to him. He was almost glad to find it empty.

The last was most definitely not empty. Set in his lap, stones and gems of every imaginable kind glinted in the torchlight. Emeralds and moonstones were the most prominent amongst them all, but diamonds and rubies and pearls were among them, too. There were things he would have sworn were scales if some hadn't been bigger than his hands. Also sent to his vault.

He considered the rest of the vault from where sat. He wanted to explore it more, but his mother's touch lingered over the great majority of it. It felt wrong for him to disturb it. With that mindset, he stood and headed for the door, dusting of his trousers as he went.

When Urkutt asked what he wanted done with the rest of the vault's contents, the only response that was willing to come forth was "Let it rot."

**~x~x~**

Sev was rather grateful that his other vault was just a short distance from his mother's. He didn't think his stomach would appreciate another harsh braking charm.

Vault 864, he noted, was larger and older looking than his other two. When asked about it, Urkutt sighed and asked what he saw on the door. Sev had to step much closer to get a look at what was on the door. He already knew that the key with the fox was the one for this particular door, but the door was harder to guess at. That is, until he realised that instead of its contents protruding as the other three had, they were set into the door and worn along the edges. _The Evans family crest._

"This is the family vault, isn't it, Urkutt?" He had to turn to catch it, but the goblin gave him a quick nod. "Right then. Is there a way for me to just… put all of the money and gems and books in my vault without hunting them all down?"

Urkutt gave him another nod before coming to stand beside him. "Are you sure, Lord Evans?"

"Yeah. We have other shopping to do today, and I'm sure Lily's vaults are going to hold much more fascinating things than my own. I can always come to visit it another day, and I'm sure you would only be too happy to escort me down here."

"Of course, of course. Just a moment, then." Urkutt ran one long finger down the length of the door before covering the keyhole with his hand. Sev could hear him muttering something, but he couldn't understand what it was. They stood there for a good five minutes before Urkutt stepped away. "All of the texts and treasures have been moved, Lord Evans, along with a grand sum of 2,607,549 galleons, 12 sickles, and 26 knuts."

Sev felt his knees give out beneath him once Urkutt said "million."

**~x~x~**

Lily jumped out of the cart the second she saw Sev's legs buckle. She'd stayed in the cart because she knew she wouldn't be allowed in, so there wasn't much reason to get up, especially when Sev had asked if he could just have all of the money and stuff.

Urkutt, to her great relief, hadn't let Sev simply collapse to the floor. He'd caught him and gently lowered him to the ground. _Probably hoping that bloody cold floor will wake him up._

"What'd you tell him?" she snapped at the goblin.

"Just how many galleons had been transferred to his person vault, Lady Slytherin."

 _Damn, Sev, it's just some bloody big number._ She knelt down next to her brother, gently cradling his head on his lap, before reaching over and slapping his stomach. "It's just a bloody big number, you dolt! He could have said there was a ruddy huge snake or spider or ghosts or a damned ship or some such nonsense but you. Passed. Out. because. Of. Some. Dumb. Number!" Lily punctuated the last words of her little rant with vicious pokes to Sev's side.

Sev came to with her last poke, flinching away from Lily and her sharp little fingers.

"What kind of number makes someone pass out? You got me all worried just to find out that all he said was some big number!" She had worry etched between her brows, and it took some great restraint not to reach over and poke him.

"Lils," he started, "I'm an eight year old millionaire. The exchange rats 'bout five pounds to a galleon, yeah? Well, I just got over two and a half million galleons, Lils. I just got 'bout thirteen million pounds, Lils. Know how many biscuits and books you can get with that much money, Lils?" He was smiling up at her, like he hadn't just passed out.

"You bloody little nerd, thinking about bloody books of all things!" Lily was smiling just as much as he was.

"Takes one to know one!"

**~x~x~**

The first of Lily's two inherited vaults was many levels below Sev's own. The iron was in impeccable condition, but the rock around it was worn and crumbling in places. It looked bloody ancient. Number 1534. This far beneath the bank, it had to be ancient. The ominous roars and clanking chains from far below didn't make her feel any better about being down there.

She wasn't sure which key went with the vault. Both, clinking against the lily key, were topped with the Slytherin crest. The door, with a still pristine Slytherin crest pressed into it, didn't offer any help. She would have asked Sev or Urkutt, but they were sitting in the cart chatting away about exchange rates between galleons and pounds and other various currencies. _My brother is a nerd. I'm related to a bleeding nerd._

In the end, she decided to try both keys. Success was found in the second key, which she proceeded to drag the other against. This left a large scratch across the face of the crest, so she'd know which was which.

After putting the keys away, she peered through the door. It hung open in front of her, inviting her into its darkness. _I am not pulling a Sev. Not happening, not on your life._ Instead, she pulled it open as wide as she could before stepping in. Torches sprang to life around her, setting the room to glimmer before her eyes. The room was piled high with coins and books. There were books on coins and coins on books and there were probably some coins inside the books.

She ignored the coins for now, preferring to just have Urkutt move them all for her. No, the books were what held her interest right now, and she made quick work of sorting them all. Books in weird squiggles made one towering stack, neatly set in a corner. Those could damn well stay. Others held handwritten pages, fading, covered in inkblots, and torn in places. Some were about theory and things like potions, while others yet were full of spells in languages she couldn't name. The former she stacked in neat piles next to the door, and the latter she sent to her vault. _I'll never run out of books._

Walking out, she tugged the key off of her key ring.

"Urkutt, can you send all of the coins up to my personal vault pretty, pretty please, and don't bother telling me how much I have? I already know that it's more than enough." She batted her eyelashes, just a little, only to have the goblin sneer at her.

"No need to make a fool of yourself, Lady Slytherin. Simply ask and it shall be done."

Lily waited the whole five minutes for Urkutt to move all of her new coins before promptly dropping the key to the vault on Sev's lap.

He looked up at her, question on the edge of his tongue, and she only shook her head. "Books, Sev. Stacks and stacks of books."

The smile he gave her was damn contagious.

**~x~x~**

Vault 2074 interested Lily about as much as her previous one had, right from the get go. There were coins and gems so fully littered about the dank space that it was hard to tell what lie beneath them all.

"Urkutt!" she called over her shoulder. She waited until he was next to her to continue. "Split the coins and gems evenly between me and Sev. I don't need this much, and I'll feel bad taking it all."

If she had looked to the side, she would have seen him nod, but instead she just worried her lip and the vault was slowly emptied.

"Thank you, Urkutt." Tables and shelves and chests filled the room now, hiding everything else from sight.

"Better get to work…"

In the end, many books were sent to her and Sev's personal vaults, while others stayed behind. _Stupid unreadable squiggles._ Many of the shelves held dozens and dozens of jars, full of nothing but rot and mould after their abandonment. Those she sent to Sev's mum's vault, telling herself that it wasn't like anyone would look at it. He _had_ said to let it all rot. There were vases that she left, and a few she put in her bag to show her mum when they got home. Cloaks lined one of the walls, and there was a chest full of robes. The one next to it held boots to match. Gloves and petticoats. Glass marbles and trinkets. There was an old bear that smelled like lavender, roughly stitched and patched, worn with wear and tear. A letter in its arms told her it was from a father to his only son. She had gone to put it back when a whim caught her. Before she could second guess it, the bear, box, and letter were sent to her personal vault, along with a few of the nicer robes. If she really wanted, she could always ask Rose to fix them up for her.

The rest of the room was carefully considered at once before she shook her head. These were other people's things, other people's lives. All kept as they had been in this room. She didn't belong there, snooping through it all.

**~x~x~**

Sev was incredibly happy to be back in the sunshiney main hall of Gringotts, and he'd wager Lily was just as happy if the way she'd run out of Urkutt's office had been anything to go by. Right now, he was standing in a square of sunlight, quite content, with Lily laying down next to him. Urkutt was back at his desk, talking with Aunt Minnie. Occasionally he would say something, making little gestures with his hands, and Aunt Minnie's face would move just the littlest bit.

He and Lily got to enjoy the sunlight for a good ten minutes before they were called over by Aunt Minnie.

At the desk, Urkutt had a paper and two gold coins roughly the size of a galleon, with without all the decoration. The goblin cleared his throat before starting in on his explanation.

"As minors, the both of you will need a wizarding guardian. This person will, while you are in the wizarding world, be responsible, and act in _loco parentis._ Before you snooze at the Latin, Miss Evans, it means in the place of your parents." Lily had the sense to look sheepish, and Sev tucked the translation away. _Now I know four things in Latin._ "When you start to attend Hogwarts, all of your reports will be sent to them. They, like a parent, will be able to manage your assets and look out for them. They will be your parent in nearly every sense of the word as far as the wizarding world is concerned. Unlike the muggle world, that is to say, the world of non magical folk, everything they do must be with consent. Every report and statement they receive will also be sent to you, and you may also elect to have them sent to your parents as well. Now, if you understand that, Miss McGonagall has offered to be your magical guardian. Do you have any objections?"

In answer, Sev shook his head, muttering a quick "no, sir." Lily, on the other hand, flung herself at Aunt Minnie.

"Aunt Minnie! It's like you really get to be our aunt, Aunt Minnie! Isn't that great?"

Minerva chuckled lightly before lightly patting the top of Lily's head. "Yes dear, I guess you could take it that way."

The papers were signed quickly, and five copies were made. One for each of them, one for Gringotts, and one for Rose and Harry.

When it was all done, Urkutt finally got down to the business of the little gold coins.

"This," he told them, holding one up, "Is what we're calling dubloons. They're one of our newest things, meant to make shopping and banking much easier. Layers of our best enchantments make them indestructible and impossible to lose. No one will be able to use them except you, and they are tied into your personal vaults." Urkutt tossed one to Severus, who only fumbled it a little. "Remember that spell from earlier? Use it."

Sev wasn't exactly sure of the best way to go about it, so he settled for placing it between his palms. " _Effundo vis!_ " Bright light seeped from between his hands briefly before fading away again. Pulling his hands apart, he had to bite back a gasp. The side currently facing up had an osprey that mirrored the one on his vault. Flipping it over, he saw that its other side had the same star as his key.

Urkutt waved him up the desk. "Think of an amount of coin, a small one mind you, and shake the coin." An excited gleam had taken up residence in the goblin's beady eyes, and Sev obliged him.

He thought briefly of 10 knuts, just 10 of them, and gave the coin a short, sharp shake over the desk. He couldn't bite back his gasp of amazement this time as ten little coins stacked themselves neatly on Urkutt's desk. "That's…!"

Urkutt shot him a grin. "Not many families have them yet. Rather new they are, and you and Miss Evans will be getting them, free of charge." Sev could almost hear the unsaid _for now._

Lily's coin, true to form, had a doe on one side and a lily on the other.

Urkutt gave them further instruction in the coins before wrapping up business. _A shake down to remove from the vault, a shake upwards to add to the vault, and press together for a direct transfer._

Aunt Minnie set up a spending limit of 500 galleons a week, and then they were on their way. Aunt Minnie asked them about the colours of their new cloaks and if they liked them, chatting away happily about their supposed meanings. Uncle Elphie cut in occasionally with things like "At least it's not olive green. Looks like shite, it does" and "Mustard yellow. Yuck. Terrible colour, that, and main colour of the Goyle crest," drawing forth riotous laughter from both Sev and Lily.

As Uncle Elphie herded them towards Eeylops, Sev completely forgot that he was supposed to ask Aunt Minnie about his inheritance from her.


	7. Diagon Alley Explored

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diagon Alley and all its wonders are explored and some new faces are met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that there are over 200 species of owls in the world? And that, in the language of flowers, orange lilies stand for passion (or hatred, depending on the source)?  
> I know I said that there would be answers in this chapter, but they didn't want to be in it. Next chapter, though!  
> Someone please thank Piffy for those wonderful reviews I'm always getting, and for giving me some inspiration for part of this chapter. You bring my poor little heart such joy with your flattery, Pif.  
> As always, thank you all so much for sticking with the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as (if not more than) you have all the rest.

521 Diagon Alley, while small, was a rather hard place to miss. Cages of every size and shape imaginable lined it; Some held owls - over which Lily and Sev were thoroughly excited, not caring that they were asleep - while others held signs, some displayed treats, and few stood empty. The owls themselves were absolutely wonderful. Each and every one was different but yet similar, in more than just that they were all owls. Many of them had similar colorings or similar markings or feather patterns and even just sizes. A great number of them looked familiar - snowy and barn owls, and a few other popular types, often seen in shows and books. One owl in particular, in a medium cage just above the dark display window, was _just_ like the one Aunt Minnie had used to send them their official invitations to Hogwarts. Lily the Ever Helpful was the one to spot it first.

"Aunt Minnie!" she exclaimed, pointing over at the sleeping owl. "Look! It's just like the one you sent us our letters with!"

A smile tugged at the corners of the older witch's mouth. "Yes, the school has a few spectacled owls on hand. I believe the one who delivered your letters goes by the name of Caeronvar."

"Caeronvar? What sort of name is Caeronvar?" Sev asked.

In return, Aunt Minnie just gave her shoulders a soft shrug. "Well, when you're almost ninety and the headmaster of a school like Hogwarts, you get to name owls whatever it is you please. Besides, dear, some would consider Severus an odd name."

Sev shot her a half-hearted glare before Lily grabbed his hand.

"Come on, Sev! I wanna look at _all_ of the owls!" With that, she started dragging him to the door, leaving everyone else to follow. Of course she was first in, followed by Sev, then Aunt Minnie, with Uncle Elphie behind her. And of course Sev blamed Lily when they all ended up crowding the door.

The creak of the door and the small, jingling bell had, to everyone's _great_ please, woken up quite a few of the owls, sending them all flying about the rafters. No one managed a good look until they all settled down. When they did, though, it nearly took Sev's breath away.

If the outside of the store had been any sort of crowded or cluttered, the inside was worse. Cages and perches lined the walls, while others hung from the roof. Some were inhabited, while some owls flew free about the store. Merchandise was stacked and shoved wherever there was room. There were books on owls, littered with talon marks, and perches with trays full of treats. Aisles had been carefully wound about the dim store, twisting almost as much as the streets of Hogsmeade had.

Sev was still staring in wonder when Aunt Minnie gave him a gentle push toward the owls. "Go on, laddie. Find yourself an owl. You, too, Miss Evans. Elphinstone and I will see about finding one for your parents and your sister to keep."

She was rewarded with two brilliant smiles.

**~x~x~**

Sev and Lily decided to start on opposite sides of the store. These owls _were_ supposed to be just for them, after all. A quick discussion was all it took for them. Lily would start at the corner closest to the door, and Sev was told to start in the far opposite corner.

The backmost corner of the store, as it turned out, was the biggest mess. Everything was stacked haphazardly, always seemingly close to toppling over. Various items were jammed in wherever they could be. The stacks formed walls of sorts, looming in overhead and separating off the aisles. It didn't help that the light had a hard time reaching this back corner, making it harder than it already was to really see anything. All Sev could do was listen to soft coos and hoots, pierced by the occasional screech, and watch for vague outlines while hoping nothing went wrong. He noticed that the smaller ones tended to stay towards the middle and lower sections of the stacks, while the land of the cages above him was dominated by massive shapes and glowing eyes - eyes that watched and waited, following him as he walked on. He would have worried about it if his self preservation instinct wasn't telling him to pay more bloody attention.

He tried to pay attention to that instinct, he really did.

He had been carefully watching the larger owls, who had recently grown restless, when a soft _goohk_ came from below. He had gotten so engrossed in the larger owls that he had forgotten about the smaller ones much closer to him, and the soft sound startled him. He jumped nearly a foot in the air, scaring the owl that had been near his feet. Instead of flying away toward some odd safe place, though, it flew itself toward Sev, who was scrambling backwards. It flew itself straight to his shoulder, where it proceeded to playfully nip at his ear.

"Hey! Hey, that tickles!" he said, not in the very least serious about actually making it stop. He could tell that it wasn't very heavy, maybe 50 grammes at the absolute most, and he'd bet that most of that was in feathers. It was rather soft, and had finally stopped nipping at his ear, settling in to give him quiet little _goohks. Seems pretty harmless._

"Alright, then. I guess I've got myself an owl. Let's go see what you look like, yeah?" The owl gave him a little trill that he decided was owl for yes.

He got lost all of three times trying to make it back to the front of the store, where there was much more light. He _did_ get there, though. The only problem was that he wasn't sure how to get the owl off of his shoulder. If he turned his head, he could see that it had a great deal of red feathers, but that was it.

In the end, Sev settled for holding his arm out awkwardly and hoping the owl would move down it. To his great relief, it did. He was blown away when he got his first good look at it.

It was a short little thing, all of 14 centimetres tall, if that. It had large, startling yellow-grey eyes, and it looked like it was quite possibly all feather. Those feathers were… astounding, at the least. Toward its feet, they were a nice, creamy brown, flecked with darker browns and reds and blacks. The rest of its feathers, however, were a brilliant red, reminiscent of Lily's hair.

A voice from his side made him jump back. "Beautiful, ain't she? We don't get many like her."

Sev whipped around to look at the owner of the voice. He was stocky old man, with long, braided hair, greyed stubble, and eyes that looked as if they would twinkle if the light caught them so. He radiated a sort of warm confidence mixed with something else… Friendliness? Familiarity?

Sev got so caught up in trying to identify that secret thing that he almost missed that the man had said something. "What type of owl is she, sir? I didn't know owls could be red."

"That there is called a Sokoke Scops Owl, Rufous Morph." Sev opened his mouth to ask another question, but was cut off. "Sokokes are some interesting birds. Come in two colorations, called morphs, but they don't differentiate the genders, like lotsa birds do. Just sorta happens, from what we've seen. This one here is called the Rufous Morph. Not a lot of 'em end up this red, but there she is. The other ones are more standard brown and grey, like other owls usually are."

The owl sidled its way back up to Sev's shoulder, carefully leaning against the side of his head. It seemed perfectly natural, the way his hand came up to gently pet the top of her head. She gave a few happy trills and nips before contenting herself with staying leaned against his face, leaving a smile to slowly spread across Sev's face.

"Seems like she's quite taken with you, son. Come up to the register and I'll get you sorted."

Sev happily obliged the old man.

**~x~x~**

Where Sev had nearly stepped on his new owl, Lily's flew into her face.

She'd nearly stepped on one in the first aisle, and it had returned the favour by nipping her about the ankles until she left. She warily watched the floor after that, not taking much notice the larger owls hovering above. By the time she made it halfway through the store, none of the owls were paying her much attention, and she wasn't quite keen on any of the ones she had spotted. They were all rather small, and she just knew Sev would end up with some bloody great big thing. She didn't really fancy the idea of her owl being terrorised by Sev's, so she wanted one of a more companionable size.

She was trying to figure out what exactly a companionable size would be when there was a shrill screeching just above her. The screech startled her, tearing a half scream from her. An owl more than twice as big as her head dived towards her.

 _Move, Lily,_ **move**.

Lily put her foot back, trying to decide which way to move, only to be rewarded with a sharp bite to the back of her ankle. She screamed again and tried to move her foot the other way - in the direction of the oncoming owl. Her balance couldn't keep up with the mad big one and the (probably) possessed smaller one, and she ended up falling back into a large stack of cages.

**~x~x~**

"Bloody bird! Stinky wanker of an owl and that… that… that little bloody possessed demon! Don't you talk to me in that tone of hoot! You can bloody well shush up, you ruddy overgrown pidgeon!"

Sev wasn't entirely sure what to expect to find when he found Lily, but it certainly wasn't this. He and the old man had been discussing food for the little owl ("Beetles would be best, but you can always do crickets. They'd be good for her reflexes") when a loud crash sent every bird in the store screeching for the rafters. Some instinct he didn't know he'd had sent him running straight for the source, panic over Lily dominating his thoughts.

He made a few wrong turns on the way, but he did eventually find his sister, following the string of loud, rapid curses to get there.

"Hey! I said hush up! Don't you know what that means?! Ruddy bird, you're making me talk like Tuney. Stop laughing! I know that's- oi! That's my hair, you menace!"

Sev was greeted by what had to be the funniest thing he had seen in all his memory. The aisle had been quite effectively destroyed, towers of merchandise had toppled into a pile that took up a good aisle and a half. In the midst of the pile was Lily, half buried with one of the larger cages Eeylops sold on top of her legs. It would have been easy enough to move if there hadn't been an owl sitting on top of it, and if it didn't have a companion on her shoulder, happily tugging on a chunk of her hair.

If Lily's shouting and deep scowl were anything to go by, she wasn't very happy, and Sev didn't blame her. The owl keeping her pinned was a monster of a thing. It had to be half a metre tall, at least, and a whole half stone. It was all blue-greys and creams, with deadly looking talons and eyes that seemed to know too much. The other owl, currently giving that lock of Lily's hair experimental tugs, was about two thirds the size of the other, feathered in deep browns and golds and streaked in black.

They made for a great sight, and all it took to set Sev to laughing was for the smaller owl to give that little lock of hair a too sharp tug, drawing forth a string of curses, largely consisting of "damned birds" and "bloody menaces" and "mangy, psychotic things." He couldn't help it. He doubled over at the end of the aisle, laughing in loud guffaws that took him to the floor. He knew Lily had started yelling at him, too, but he couldn't reign the laughter in. As he gasped in between laughing fits, the owls joined in with joyful hoots. He didn't even have enough of his wits to be surprised when Aunt Minnie's muffled giggles and Uncle Elphie's loud chortles joined his own laughter.

Eventually, the man who had been helping them earlier had to stop them, a sharp "If I may" cutting through all of their noise. It still took a minute for them to finally stop their laughing, but they did (much quicker than they would have if no one had interrupted).

Sev looked over at him, cheeks red and slightly aching. The man had out a short, knobby wand, made of some dark wood. He gave it a sharp wave to the side and muttered something Sev couldn't quite make out. To his complete and utter amazement, the cages started moving about, restacking themselves until the two aisles were complete and separate again. They floated and moved about in every direction, avoiding each other with careful precision.

_I gotta learn that one._

He was wondering if that was simply a charm or some other odd spell when Lily started yelling behind him.

"Why? You two rotten things, why? Can't you pick someone else to torment? OI! That is my- ow! Stop that!"

Lily's shoulders were now inhabited by both of the previous owls. Each had a chunk of hair in its beak, taking turns tugging at it. Sev thought she looked like that bobblehead of John Lennon that their mum kept on a shelf in the living room.

The two owls probably would have kept it up if the old man hadn't sent two little biscuits flying through the air. The owls caught them, not even bothering to leave Lily's shoulder. She only looked a _little_ put out. The frown would have looked better if she wasn't lightly scratching the head of the shorter owl.

"A Fulvous, a Verreaux's eagle, and a Sokoke Scops… Come to the front, you two, and let's have a discussion, shall we?"

**~x~x~**

The area near the counter lacked chairs of any sort, leaving Sev and Lily to sit on the counter on either side of the older man.

"Now, you two," he said, gesturing across himself at the both of them, "have been chosen by three very different owls, all of which have been right pains for me to place." He turned slightly to face Sev. "You, young sir, have been picked by a Sokoke Scops owl, one I've already told you has very, very rare colouring. It's a rare bird in and of itself, found in a very small region in Kenya and Tanzania. We don't get them often. They're more than a little small, as you've seen, and they're quite picky. People buy them for their colouring, not really remembering that it might have some specific needs. That one there only eats beetles, crickets, and one particular brand of our owl treats. No one's wanted to take it, and I'm more than willing to give you quite the discount. We'll get to that in a minute, though. Your sister, there," he turned from Sev to Lily, "has been chosen by two much larger owls who could possibly be a danger to yours. The Fulvous might be alright, it's that smaller one on her right. Came in from Central America a few months ago, but no one wants him. Got a bit of a temper, they say. Eats a lot of larger prey, like lizards and rats and mice, and the occasional small bird. The Verreaux, on the other hand, has nearly eaten a few of the pygmy owls, and is rather protective. She's big and hardy, another African owl, and can fly quite the distance. Makes 'em good for business and deliveries, yeah? Only problem is that she's just so big, and she could be a danger to smaller pets. They're known for eating anything from scorpions to young monkeys, see."

Sev brought his hand protectively to the little owl on his shoulder. It was still leaning against his face, and he got the feeling it was probably asleep. He didn't want the other two to eat his! He was just starting to think of names for it, and he wanted the joy of sending her off with her first delivery, and then coming home to peck on his window for the first time. He wanted to keep her around for a while.

He was starting to drift off into thought on names again when mention of spells brought him back.

"- charmed to _not_ eat that third owl, of course, but that'll cost you quite a few more-"

"Galleons aren't a problem, sir," he blurted out, and it was true. He _was_ an eight year old millionaire.

The old man stared at him for a second before nodding. "Right then." He hopped off the counter before grabbing some parchments from underneath the counter. "You two will need… let's see… Ah, yes." That knobby wand was brought back out. "One single owl perch in… Lad, what sort of perch would you like?"

Sev barely had to think it. "Gold." It'd go best with the warm tones of the greens and browns in his room back in Cokeworth.

"Right. One gold single perch with matching medium cage - always go one size up from the bird, you two. They'll be much happier with you. Now… You, girl, will need a double perch and some cages. I can give you either a levelled perch or a straight perch, but I need you to pick a material for me."

Sev knew right away that Lily wouldn't be able to pick anything. Petunia and Rose had decorated her room last time, simply because she couldn't ever pick a colour, much less a theme. Right now it was all oranges and blues and yellows. Bright and airy.

"She could use a levelled perch in white painted iron." Lily shot him a look. "You wouldn't have made up your mind yourself! And this'll look the least garrish in your room. I'd never live it down if I let you bring something home that disturbed what all Tuney and mum bought." True enough. Rose would roll her eyes and ask Harry to paint it, and Tuney would complain for weeks. _Sev! I knew Lils was hopeless with this stuff, but I thought you would be able to pick out something decent. Didn't I already teach you colour theory?_ And she had. It was how he'd known all the clothes that him and Rose had brought home would make him look all yellow.

"Works for me." The wand was waved, and three cages appeared on the counter, doors already open. The owls obediently hopped in. "I need an address to send the perches to, if you would?"

"That would be 10 Hambledon Road, Cokeworth, England, sir. Mine goes to the first door on the left, and Sev's goes to the third door on the left." Lily recited it with practised ease, as if she'd rehearsed it an infinite number of times.

"Right, right. What else… Ah! A month's worth of Eeylops treats for the two larger ones, and a month's worth of beetle flavoured treats from the Menagerie for the smaller." Another wand wave brought forth bags of treats and three crates. "In here we have a crate of beetles and crickets, one of field mice, and one of large rats. There are only a few of each, as your owl should be able to go out and hunt every night, understood?" The two nodded. "Good. Let's see… They need to be charmed not to fight each other… They've already been charmed with all of the standard charms… Past that, you just need to name them, and then you'll get their papers and be off."

Lily and Sev shared a mutual eye roll. He talked nearly as much as Urkutt, even though he spoke faster, and in a much more enjoyable tone.

"Can I name them Arse and Twit?" Lily asked, only half joking. "Nah, scratch that… I want to name the big one - it's a she, innit? - I wanna name her… Valeris, and the other one can be Erasmus." She gave them both a brief nod. "Powerful names for powerful birds."

Sev's face twisted up a bit before he decided on a name for his own little owl. "Well, some of us can pick out _normal_ names, and I'm naming her Cinna. It's short for Cinnamon." Cinna gave a short little trill before nipping at a bar on her cage. "Approve?" There was another short trill. "Good. Now you're stuck with it."

And so she was. The papers were signed, the owls were charmed, and they agreed on a price of 24 galleons altogether. Lily, having two owls, paid 16 of the galleons herself, and Sev covered the other 8.

"Come back soon, you two, yeah? You can always ask for Mr. Eeylops by name. I'll be glad to help."

**~x~x~**

Aunt Minnie and Uncle Elphie were chatting on about the owls and their different species, leading them to the Owl Post just down the alley. Lily was going to leave Valeris with their family "just in case." She wasn't about to be responsible for Cinna getting hurt, and she knew he was probably rather thankful for that.

It didn't take long for Aunt Minnie to write up a short letter and send Cinna and Erasmus to Hogwarts, vanishing their cages as well. She had just barely finished before Uncle Elphie started ushering them off to Amanuensis. "Too many owls in one day," he'd said.

Amanuensis was a shop smaller than Eeylops at the northern end of the alley, close to Gringotts. It was nice enough to look at - dark woods with gold accenting, and everything done in straight lines or perfect swirls. "Amanuensis" was painted in perfect Copperplate over the door.

Sev went on ahead to get the door for everyone, only to be greeted with it opening and smacking him right in the face. He fell off to the side, and two boys about their age stumbled out. Lily glanced over quickly to make sure Aunt Minnie and Uncle Elphie had Sev before she took in the boys, fire flickering deep behind her eyes.

The one closest to Sev was definitely bigger than them. He had wavy brown hair, neatly trimmed, with a healthy looking tan topped off by an expression of pure panic. The other boy was smaller and bloody golden. His skin was much deeper than his friend's, a rich golden-brown, and he had a messy mop of black hair. Under that mop he had brilliant hazel eyes and a fading smirk.

Lily didn't even notice that the smirk was fading, or that Sev was finally standing unsteadily. She could see a bruise forming out of the corner of her eyes, and that that _smirk still existed_. Lily saw red.

She marched right up to the boy, finger out accusingly, and she kept marching until her finger hit his chest. When that happened, she didn't miss a beat, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pushing him back against the wall. She could hear Aunt Minnie and Uncle Elphie telling her to stop, Sev and the other boy, too, but she couldn't help it. They had hurt Sev, and he had been _smirking._

He wasn't now.

**~x~x~**

James Charlus Potter was a prick, and he'd admit it without hesitation. He knew he was a right prat. Aunt Augusta called him a menace and Walburga Black had called him a demon the one and only time they'd met (granted, he had convinced the house elves to bake spiders into all of her food, so he more or less deserved that one). He had made five nannies quit so far, and his tutors would rather pull out their hair than try to make him do anything. He was an only child, and the greatest joy in his parents' lives. Spoilt, loved, and with few manners, he had always known he was a prick. He had never hurt anyone, though, not as far as he could recall.

He couldn't. He was the one who had called out his nannies for treating the elves badly, and he had told Aunt Augusta straight to her face that she couldn't force Frank to be a mirror image of his dad, and that if said dad was ever home he'd tell her that himself. He was the one who had almost destroyed his own dining room when his second nanny had struck a house elf for a simple mistake.

_We just hurt someone. Bloody hell. Me and Frank just hurt someone._

His smirk started fading the minute he heard the thud, and he was frozen in place right outside the door. There were two adults hovering over some boy, and people were starting to notice and stare. He could already imagine the whispers.

_That menace Potter boy, finally gone and hurt someone in the alley. Innocent boy! Hit him in the face with a door. The Longbottom boy was there, too! Probably all Potter's fault, corrupting good boys like Frank._

He only half noticed being pushed back towards the wall. He was too busy going between checking to make sure that the boy got up and that Frank didn't start to panic. Frank didn't, but the bruise on the side of the boy's face nearly made James do so.

He was snapped back to the reality of himself by cool wood behind him. Then he noticed the hand wrapped up in his shirt. It was a nice enough hand, he decided. Creamy and soft looking, with freckles dotted against it like the stars the Black family took its names from. It led up an equally creamy arm to a black and green cloak, and a face backlit with furious burning that would have made even Walburga Black cringe.

James wasn't smirking anymore. Pretty girl or not, this girl looked like he'd slaughtered her family and then asked her out for a picnic. And she had him pinned against a wall.

Definitely not smirking anymore.

"You arrogant toerag! Smirking little prick! You hit my brother with a door and you stood there smirking!" He could hear everyone off to the side calling her off. _Lily. I'm being shouted at by a redhead named Lily. How fitting._ "Don't you have anything to say for yourself? Or is it bloody fucking wizarding culture to not pay attention when you open the bloody door?!"

The lady was scolding Lily for her language, and her other two companions were shouting at her to damned well stop. _Yes, please! Please make her stop._

He saw Frank coming up behind them and his eyes went wide. He tried shaking his head, just barely, but Lily must have noticed. She had twisted around in a snap, dragging James a good inch or two.

"And you! Watch where you're bloody go-"

"Is your brother okay?" James finally had the sense to ask, and he would have worshiped Merlin's dirty pants right then and there, because she finally _stopped talking._ On the other hand, now the entire bunch of them was staring at him like he'd sprouted wings or some such nonsense.

Lily ran away from him after a moment, carefully checking on the boy they had hit. He and Frank could have slipped away, then, but it wasn't… it wasn't _right._

"I'm sorry!" he called over, and he waited until everyone, most importantly the boy, was looking over at him. "We - me and Frank, that is - we should have been more careful. We were chatting and joking around like a couple prats, and you got hurt because of that." And he _was_ hurt. There was a bruise starting to form right in the middle of his forehead. "Let us make it up to you? We're busy today, but owl us. We'll take you to Fortescue's, my treat."

Lily gave him a short nod before dragging the boy inside, and the older man followed them in. That left him with the lady.

"My name's James Potter, ma'am. This here is my friend Frank, Frank Longbottom." Frank was trying to avoid the awkwardness of social niceties now, and James could have cursed him. "We're terribly sorry about what happened, ma'am, and for the damages we've caused."

The lady gave him a nod. "Professor Minerva McGonagall. I know both your parents." There was a pointed glance both their ways. _Shite._ "You'll get an owl from us soon."

And with that she was off. Frank walked up next to him when the door shut behind the professor, and he only half paid attention. Something about niceties and why was James taking them for ice cream? He didn't really have an answer for that, or why he was still watching the door, or why he wasn't answering. All he could think of was fiery green eyes and freckles and that brilliant red hair and fierce protectiveness. Lily had him addled.

"Frank, mate, listen to me."

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna marry that Lily girl some day, I swear I am."

"Yeah, whatever you say mate. You'll marry her. If she doesn't curse your bollocks off first, that is."

**~x~x~**

The rest of the day was easy enough. They got practice kits and workbooks from Amanuensis, along with a pen knife each, a variety of quills and inks of varying colors, and more than enough parchment to last the next two months. Through Amanuensis, they had extra stationary and a specialised quill each (complete with self-inking, self-cleaning, spell checking, anti plagiarism, and anti cheating charms, and you can get it in your family colors!) on order at Ephraim's.

Madam Malkin's was next, so that they could place all of their orders and return for them at the end of the day. They both ordered sets of matching dress robes (Sev's were mostly dark compliments to Lily's lighter and brighter ones), sets of work robes, and around the house robes, and casual robes, and formal robes, and formal muggle clothes, and play clothes… Madam Malkin set their heads spinning with the sheer amount of _stuff_ that came with a full wizarding wardrobe.

Flourish & Blotts was a bookstore that Uncle Elphie nearly had to drag them out of, but they left with books on nearly every subject they could (at which point they had to go back to Gringotts and remove the spending limit - they'd nearly hit it at Madam Malkin's). Potage's saw to it that they had good, sturdy cauldrons, and Slug & Jiggers gave them a wide variety of potions ingredients to experiment with.

Things were going just fine until they left, and Sev saw a bunch of teens playfully shooting colourful spells at each other.

"Aunt Minnie?" he'd asked, innocent as ever. "Will we get to learn magic at Hogwarts?"

Aunt Minnie looked like a fish out of water, her mouth opening and closing rapidly. It took her a minute to finally answer, and by this point Lily was staring at her rather expectantly.

"I'd say yes, but it isn't really appropriate," she tried to explain. "You don't have wands yet, and school isn't in session, you know. There is potions, though, and I'm sure you'll both enjoy it."

Sev's face twisted up a bit. He didn't want to learn potions, not with how much it looked like Eileen had enjoyed it, and he made sure Aunt Minnie knew that.

"You can always read up on all of the theory, and you can probably do a little Herbology while you're there. Oh! And there's Care of Magical Creatures. I'm sure Hagrid would love to entertain you two."

They weren't satisfied.

"What about wands, Aunt Minnie? Are we allowed to get those?"

_Bless you, Lily, and that blasted little pout of yours._

Aunt Minnie didn't have an answer for that, so Uncle Elphie had to speak up. "Wands are like Hogwarts; You get 'em when you're eleven, see? There are some families, really old ones, that get them early, but they're exceptions. There's no rules or laws about it, not really. Only ones I can think of are no magic in front of muggles, and underage children can only do magic in wizarding areas, like Diagon Alley and Hogwarts."

Ideas were already forming in Sev's head. _No laws against getting a wand, then?_

"No, Sev, I can practically see what you're thinking! It's _tradition_!"

Sev looked over at Lily briefly before she decided to speak up.

"Well, we _are_ from old families, and we _will_ be in a wizarding area. and there _aren't_ any rules against getting them…," she started, and Uncle Elphie shook his head.

"It doesn't happen, lass, and you can't just go start bugging Mr. Ollivander-"

"Ollivander? Thanks, Uncle Elphie!" Sev half shouted, already dragging Lily with him to the other side of the alley. He'd seen Ollivander's earlier, and it shouldn't be too hard to find again.

They left behind a rather flabbergasted Uncle Elphie, who got cuffed about the ears by a _slightly_ upset Aunt Minnie.

**~x~x~**

Ollivander's was much like many of the other stores lining the alley. It was large, dusty, and filled wherever it could be with its wares. In this case, wands. The store was dark and full of dust, and Sev would have assumed the store had been deserted if he hadn't seen a man over at the counter. Said man was definitely old, with a shock of white hair and glasses and more wrinkles than old Miss Peterson had. He was watching the two of them quite intently, as if trying to figure out if he knew them from somewhere. Apparently he did - his face lit up in a bright smile, and came around the counter to greet them.

"Ah, Miss Slytherin, how great it is to see one of your family again! The last Slytherin to grace these doors came around far before I was born. A one Audric Slytherin. 13 and three quarter inches, that one, cedar and acromantula webbing, surprisingly swishy. That was back before we stopped using acromantula parts, yes… And you! You, Master Evans! I remember selling your mother her wand when she was just eleven." Sev's eyes went wide. "Yes, she left here quite satisfied with a ten inch wand of hawthorn and dragon heartstring. Only wand she ever had to get from me."

There was a temptation there, just a small one, but he cut it short. They were here for a reason.

"Mr. Ollivander, sir, can we get wants?" he asked, rather tentatively. Ollivander simply smiled at him.

"Thought you'd never ask!"

**~x~x~**

Lily was quite happy that she got to get a wand first, until none of the wands felt quite right. Some of them tingled every so slightly in her hand, and others felt like they were suffocating her. The first one had done absolutely nothing. The second had tingled, the third felt weird, the fourth had made her start to panic, the fourth sparked weakly, the fifth burnt her hand.

She was convinced she wouldn't get one until Ollivander dragged her and Sev to one of the store's farther reaches, muttering something about old, finicky wands never selling.

There, up on a shelf right above where they had stopped, was a bright blue box. It was there amongst other purples and blues and greens and reds, but there was a _blue_ box.

"That one," she whispered, barely raising her hand. She didn't really have to. The wand box in question fell down into Ollivander's hand, and his own wand was out. She hadn't even heard him say anything. That didn't matter, though, oh no. Not at this moment. Ollivander had opened the box up, pulling back a few pieces of satin to reveal the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

It was straight and delicately tapered, with vines neatly twisting up from the spiral handle to the tip. It had a nice, warm stain that reminded her of home. She reached her hand out carefully, almost scared to touch it. Her hand was just a few inches away when the wand started shooting out red and purple sparks like mad, only to calm when Ollivander very firmly placed it in Lily's hands.

It felt _warm,_ like it was alive, and it assaulted her senses, making sure she knew that it was there before it settled down. It was like a new limb that she was only vaguely aware of having.

There was wonder in her eyes when she looked up at Ollivander.

"That, dear, is your new wand. Willow and unicorn tail hair. Ten and a half inches, sturdy. Temperamental thing, made by my own grandfather. Never sold, not once, and I'd like to think it was waiting for you, dear."

He gave her a knowing smile before turning to Sev. "Now, you…"

**~x~x~**

Sev's wand was not nearly as hard to find. They were walking up toward the front when Sev felt something. Like something wanted him to be aware of it, and aware he was. It niggled at the farthest reaches of his conscience, urging him toward it. It was in one of the end stacks, he knew that much, and he made a point of walking by every single one. The closer they got to the front, the stronger the feeling was.

He knew he had found it at the third aisle from the end. It was a small stack in comparison, not much taller than Sev himself, and he had to bend over to look for it.

 _Purple. Purple box._ Sev's hand was drawn to it before he had even registered that there was a purple box in his hands.

The wand was beautiful and light, and it felt perfectly right in his hand. It wasn't quite straight, with a little knob in the middle. It reminded him of beached wood. He'd seen some once; His mum had found some and brought it home for him to see. The ocean lingered in its smell and the way it felt.

"Beech and dragon heartstring. Eleven and a half inches, slightly bendy. A good wand, yes… A good wand."

Sev hadn't heard anyone come up behind him, and it scared him half to death. He whirled around, raising his wand even though he didn't know how to use it.

Ollivander only chuckled. "No worries, no worries."

**~x~x~**

Sev and Lily were more than happy to give up their seven galleons each, and much more reluctant to step outside. The sun was starting to set, and they knew Aunt Minnie and Uncle Elphie would be outside. The joys of being right.

Uncle Elpie had his arms crossed and looked… well, honestly he just looked more put out than anything else. Aunt Minnie, on the other hand, had a look that could put one of Rose's to shame. Lily and Sev looked anywhere but right at her.

"You two little- Didn't ask- Running-" Her sentences kept starting and stopping, as if she couldn't figure out what to start yelling at them for first. Eventually she settled for just glaring at them.

They stood there for a good five minutes, squirming under her gaze, getting more and more uncomfortable by the second. Sev wasn't sure about Lily, but he was becoming quite fascinated with the little beetle navigating its way through the cracks in the cobblestone walkway. _You go, little bug!_ He would have kept watching it if it hadn't started moving towards Aunt Minnie. Instead, he decided he needed a new thing to be fascinated with. There was some dirt, a little rock, a weird shaped pebble…

_Can't keep avoiding her forever, Sev… But what am I supposed to do? Sorry, Aunt Minnie, I just really wanted a wand and it should have been easy enough for you to know where we were going? Nah, too rude. I could always be a brat and tell her that I'm just spending my allowance as I think it should be spent. Wait…_

And then Sev had the perfect idea.

He half looked up at Aunt Minnie, keeping his eyes around her feet. "'M real sorry, Aunt Minnie. We didn't mean to make you mad, honest. I just figured that since you're giving me a nice allowance and all, it should be spent on something you might approve of."

He could practically feel the silence around them. Looking up, he could see that all of the colour had drained out of Aunt Minnie's face. Uncle Elphie was staring at her, confused, and Lily looked like she'd completely forgotten that one of his allowances came from Aunt Minnie and some other lady.

_Better finish what you started, Sev…_

"It was listed in my inheritances. 200 galleons a month from Evangeline Burke, 100 from Alexandra flint, and 200 from you and Pomona Sprout, all in the name of my old mum." He crossed his arms, frowning a bit. "How did you all know my mum, and why'd you all leave me money in her name?"

Aunt Minnie sighed. "This is a conversation best had in privacy, child. I'll explain to you at Hogwarts, I promise."

He gave her a tentative nod.

"Madam Malkin's first, and then to the apparation point."

**~x~x~**

Sev was only slightly amazed by how many cups Aunt Minnie could apparently keep in her robes, and just how small two entire wardrobes could get. He figured he would have been more so if the sheer force of that hook behind his navel didn't make him so nauseous.

The portkey, a little blue china cup, took them straight to the front gate of Hogwarts. It was a big, wrought iron thing, towering over them. It creaked open when Aunt Minnie approached it, and closed with a resolute clank behind Uncle Elphie. They walked the long way up to the castle like that, with Sev and Lily sandwiched between the two adults.

It was a pretty walk, though. The sun had started setting, shooting streaks of orange and pink and purple across dark and light blues. The castle looked like it was backlit by some strange flame, with the light occasionally managing to pierce multiple windows. The castle was glorious like this, no doubt about that. The light bouncing off of the rippling surface of the lake only added to the effect.

 _Like a castle guarding a lake of gold and jewels and treasure. Now all it needs is a dragon._ And Hogwarts did lack a dragon. In its place, though, it had Albus Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore with his fading auburn hair and his beard tucked into his belt. Albus Dumbledore and his outlandish robes with a matching hat.

Albus Dumbledore and eyes that twinkled, eyes that made Sev instinctively reach over and grab Lily's hand.

Sev knew Hogwarts would never need a dragon. No, not when it had Albus Dumbledore and his unsettling gaze.


	8. Legilimens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dumbledore does a bad and Sev makes quite the number of friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The biggest of thank yous to Piffy and Azaldhre, betas and inspirations extraordinaires. And extra big thank yous to every single one of you reading this! You guys make all of this happen, and I couldn't write this without you all. I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
> Also, holy wow, there's a terribly large amount of you who don't want James and Lily to end up together! I'm afraid I will have to disappoint those of you with that particular opinion. James and Lily are going to end up together eventually, though I'm hoping to write it well and make it much better than canon.  
> So, again, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Albus Dumbledore made Severus incredibly uncomfortable, and some part of him knew it was more than likely irrational. There wasn't anything that he could see to be uncomfortable with, after all. He was an older wizard, with fading auburn hair and a rather long beard. His robes were a little weird, sure, and so was the matching hat, but there was nothing about the wizard standing in front of him to justify how he made Severus feel. It was just… he had a feeling. Something about Albus Dumbledore was _off,_ and the thought pestered him all through their introductions.

Lily, from what Sev could tell, was plenty comfortable around the old man. She introduced herself with a small smile and shook his hand, and he returned her smile with his own eye crinkling one.

 _See, Sev, he's perfectly fine. Lily introduced herself perfectly fine, and Aunt Minnie and Uncle Elphie both know him. They wouldn't introduce us to someone bad, right?_ And Sev was well on his way to playing this all off as a bad bit of over imagination when Aunt Minnie gave him a gentle push forward.

"Hullo, sir. I'm Severus Evans, sir, but my family calls me Sev." He stuck his hand out as he knew he should, keeping his eyes on his feet the whole time. He didn't look up until he realised that Dumbledore hadn't taken his hand.

There was a soft rustling of robes, and he could tell Dumbledore had knelt in front of him. "Would you terribly mind looking at me, dear boy?" he asked softly.

It took all of Sev's effort not to flinch away. He knew, he just _knew_ that looking up was a bad idea. Silent alarms were ringing in his head, and he delayed it as long as he could, eventually settling for slowly peeking up through his lashes. Dumbledore was there, on his knees, just a foot away, and the alarms got louder and more insistent. He couldn't really delay it more, though. There wasn't any real reason not to.

Sev shoved his worries aside for the moment and looked the headmaster in the eyes.

 _Oh, that's weird._ Sev had the distinct feeling that he wasn't quite alone in his own head, like there was something or someone else just outside his conscience, just barely known to him. And then the memories started flooding through.

_Dancing. Mismatched socks. Grey tiles. Lace curtains. Dancing. Run away. Park. No. Dancing. A face he didn't remember. The supermarket. No. Wrong._

Sev's memories poured forth, and he felt his heart pounding. These were _his_ memories, no one else's. He resisted, trying to make them stop. There was success, but only a little. The flood slowed before doubling its efforts. It was like a dam had broken, filling him with memories, oddly focused on his mum.

_Lavender's blue. In bed. Little Prince. Half-blood Prince. Smiling. I'm Sorry. Dilly dilly. Happy. Angry. Thick black hair. The prettiest braid. A brush in his hair. Warm brown eyes. Pap- no, parchment. A feather dipped in ink. No. No, dad is angry! The vault, absolutely full. The cauldron. Shelves full of books. A stuffed owl. A mobile, enchanted with dancing stars. Lists. Stories. Ingredients, jars and jars of them. Reciting. What is a bezoar, Severus? Again. Again. A chest, full of secrets. An iron door with a caul-_

"GET OUT!" Sev shouted. "YOU CAN'T LOOK AT THOSE!"

Dumbledore still held his eyes, but he couldn't really focus on that now. Dumbledore was the one in his head, he just had to be, and Sev was having none of it. He wanted to get him out of his mind. He wanted it _now._

He tried to picture it, his mind: Dumbledore was standing there in front of a great, branching river, one flowing freely with all of his memories. Each branch was something different. The one closest to Dumbledore was the one about his mum, and he focused on it. He imagined that it was impossibly wide, making it impassable. Then he gave it high, sharp banks, so that no one could look in the river without falling in. It wasn't enough, he knew. The rest of the river had to be guarded. Suddenly the ground gave way, rising high above the river. Then the banks were built up with stone. Weeds and grass and flowers grew in abundance right at the edges, obscuring the view down. Willow trees grew next, their roots making webs and caves over various places in the river. Those were special. He wasn't quite sure why, but he knew that the willows were special.

_More, there has to be more._

Sev willed the trees to be filled with magpies. Vicious ones. Then snakes - water moccasins and black mambas - were brought into thickets of weeds and grass. He brought darkness to the sky, so it would be harder to see, but he sprinkled the sky with stars, imagining that they were his most precious memories. There weren't many, but he rather liked to think it looked like Canis Major when he was done.

Sev finished everything off with a winding stone wall that followed the river as it ran on and on. After that, all that was left was Dumbledore, who was standing right inside the stone wall.

Sev stared until Dumbledore looked at him, their eyes catching and holding. "You can't be here." His voice was cold and cutting.

"Ah, my dear boy. Quite good work, here, and I didn't even have to explain how to do it."

Fire blazed inside Sev. "I said you can't be here!"

"I'm afraid you'll have to remove me, dear boy," Dumbledore chuckled.

Fire burned through Sev's veins, fueled by anger and indignation. "I AM NOT A BOY, AND I'M NOT YOUR DEAR BOY," he screamed, "AND YOU CAN'T. BE. HERE."

Sev willed a giant glass dome into existence, seeing the glass framed in steel, and then imagining how it would bury itself deep, deep into the ground until it closed in on itself; Sev's mind was locked away in a giant glass sphere - one that Albus Dumbledore did _not_ belong in. He focused his entire will on two things: making sure no one would ever be able to get into his mind again, and making sure that Albus Dumbledore left it. For good.

It took five whole minutes, but eventually Dumbledore disappeared with a little pop. Then everything turned black.

**~x~x~**

Lily was _furious._

Dumbledore had seemed plenty nice. Sure, she'd had the weirdest feeling when his eyes caught hers, but she'd brushed it off. At least, she had until Sev started screaming.

He'd introduced himself to Dumbledore perfectly fine, if a little shyly. Then Dumbledore had knelt down, and it was all fine, except when Sev looked up at him. They'd both gone still and quiet at that point. That was when the first wave of worry hit her.

The next came when Sev started screaming.

"GET OUT!" he'd shouted. "YOU CAN'T LOOK AT THOSE!" He didn't look away from Dumbledore.

"Aunt Minnie! Aunt Minnie, what's wrong?" she asked, anxiety heavy in her voice. Her eyes stayed trained on Sev and Dumbledore.

She finally looked away when she realised that Aunt Minnie had never answered her. The professor was staring at the two in front of her, shock drawing out her features. Uncle Elphie wasn't any better. He looked positively indignant, like he couldn't believe what was happening.

"Aunt Minnie!" Lily shouted again.

No answer.

She reached over and pinched Aunt Minnie's arm as hard as she could.

Aunt Minnie finally looked over, her face draining of its colour. Lily knew why. Anger had twisted up her face when Sev had started screaming.

"Aunt Minnie, you tell me what's happening to my brother right now!" she demanded.

McGonagall nodded briefly and swallowed. "The headmaster- Albus used a spell on Severus. He used Legilimens-"

"I don't know what that is!"

"Lily, Albus used a very difficult spell to force himself into your brother's mind."

All Lily knew was rage.

 _How dare he?_ Anger filled her, pulsing through her veins until they weren't enough to contain it. At that point, all of her anger and fear spilled out in thick waves of magic.

 _He forced his way into_ my brother's mind.

The air around her swirled with it, becoming thick and hot, pulsing rapid and harsh. Sparks flew until something ignited, setting off lightning. The air churned into clouds. They were heavy and dark, settling around them all like a wall. Lightning and thunder danced off of them in miniature claps and bolts.

Lily looked at them with disdain. They were useless like that, only scaring Aunt Minnie and Uncle Elphie. No, she wanted to do something with them.

 _Dumbledore._ That was right. Dumbledore had used that spell on Sev, and now he was hurting him.

She poured all of her anger at the old wizard out of herself, willing it to hurt him.

"I AM NOT A BOY, AND I'M NOT YOUR DEAR BOY," Sev screamed, "AND YOU CAN'T. BE. HERE."

Lily let it all loose. Lightning rained down behind Dumbledore, constantly just barely missing him.

She was vaguely aware of Aunt Minnie shaking her shoulder roughly, and Uncle Elphie was yelling something at her, but she didn't care. Sev was hurting, and it was Dumbledore's fault, and she knew nothing more important than that right then.

Dumbledore flinched back from Sev rather violently, unintentionally throwing himself under an incoming bolt of lightning.

Aunt Minnie was quicker than the bolt, though. Her wand was out with a quick slash at Dumbledore. "Protego!" A shield sprang to life above the headmaster, absorbing the shock of the lightning bolt.

Lily wanted to scowl, and she would have, if Sev hadn't started to sway in place.

The lightning storm dissipated in an instant, and Lily dropped down next to Sev just in time to catch him.

She cradled him as much in her lap as she could, which wasn't much. His head was in her arms, and she had his upper body laid across her legs. Sev's lower half was spread on the stone walkway beneath them. She gently petted his head, muttering nonsense to herself.

Lily didn't notice much for the next while. She continued her muttering and petting, occasionally stopping to tuck stray bits of hair behind Sev's ears. She wanted him to wake up and be okay.

" _Please, please, Sev, you gotta be okay. You just gotta be okay."_

Lily kept her whispering up until a lady, not too much older than Aunt Minnie, bent down and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Lily jolted, her grip on Sev tightening just a bit.

"Miss Evans, I'm terribly sorry," the lady said.

_She's got really nice blue eyes. They don't twinkle._

Lily gave her a tentative nod. "Who are you?"

"My name is Poppy Pomfrey, Miss Evans. I'm the Matron here at Hogwarts. I take care of every single person who walks through those doors there in front of you." Her voice was soft and steady, and some part of Lily knew that she was trying to keep her calm.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Pomfrey. I'm Lily."

Miss Pomfrey gave her a gentle little smile. "Pleased to meet you, Lily. You can call me Madame Pomfrey, if you'd like. But I need to take care of your brother, yes?"

Lily's eyes went wide, and she hugged Sev to her. Madame Pomfrey just smiled more.

"Seeing as we are all witches and wizards here, Miss Evans, I can float you up to the hospital wing with your brother. You'll have to let go of him there so I can make sure he's okay, but you can stay right by him the entire time, I promise."

It took her a few minutes to contemplate, but eventually she nodded. "Only if Mr. Dumbledore can't come see him."

Madame Pomfrey answered her by standing up and pulling out her wand. There was a swish and a flick, and then Lily and Sev were rising up in the air. When Madame Pomfrey started walking towards the open door, they floated on ahead of her.

**~x~x~**

The first thing Severus saw was a ceiling made up of cream coloured stone, with thick oak beams banded across it. The next was a rather stern looking lady, with bright blue eyes and greying brown hair. She had her wand out, and he could see a light just above the tip.

The light moved from one side to the other, his eyes tracking it the whole way. The lady - he assumed she was a nurse or a doctor or something of the sort, what with the little hat on her head - gave him a sharp nod before turning around and grabbing something. He tried to move his head to see what it was, only to be rewarded with a sharp pain in the back of his head.

Sev grated out a hiss. The pain was something similar to some of Tobias' worst beatings. It was hot and fierce, throbbing until he thought his skull would burst from the pressure. It burnt its way all the way through his head, burning until his eyes watered. The nurse gave a short tut before finally turning around.

"It won't do you any good to be moving about, now, Mr. Evans," she told him. "You've got some rather nasty mental tearing there, and it'll take you a bit to get back up to speed." She paused briefly to press a vial to his lips. "This is a pain relieving potion. You'll be taking two a day for the next month, so we can be sure your pain isn't a distraction."

Sev simply nodded and drank the potion, resisting the urge to gag. He'd forgotten how awful potions tasted.

 _Potions are meant to help, Severus. They are_ not _meant to appease to palettes of little children._

There was another potion at his mouth. "A strengthening potion, which you will need once a day for a week. After that, you will be given them once every other day." Sev took it obediently.

The next vial to find its way to Sev's mouth was one he recognised could just barely see the purple colouring, but he didn't need that. No, it was the rather distinct smell of sweet valerian and soothing lavender that he knew. Sev closed his lips tight.

"This one, which I would kindly request you do take, Mr. Evans, is a sleeping draught. Your mind needs to rest, something best done while sleeping." She didn't look all too happy with him refusing the potion.

He kept his lips pressed tight together, though. Eileen had slipped him enough in the past in her attempts to hide him from some of her fights with Tobias. Sleeping draughts were something he was sure he'd be plenty fine without.

The nurse kept staring at him, but he didn't budge. Eventually she just sighed and put the vial down on the table next to his bed.

"Fine!" she exclaimed. "Stare at the walls and let your head hurt if you'd like!" She marched off, pausing only a bit away. "I'm Madame Pomfrey, the school's matron. Scream if you need me." There was marching, followed by a slamming door, and then everything was quiet.

Sev couldn't really look around, not much anyways. Moving his head gave him these odd twinges, and he knew they'd be extremely painful if it hadn't been for the pain reliever. Since he couldn't look around, he settled for trying to count the stones above his head.

**~x~x~**

Sev was at 218 stones for the second time when a door to his right creaked open. He knew right away that it couldn't be Madame Pomfrey; The door she had opened was to his left, and she hadn't opened it again.

He was tempted to look over and see who it was, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk the weird, painless twinges in his head and neck. Curiosity won out, though, when the door never clicked shut, and footsteps never echoed across the room. He turned his head in one swift motion, wincing at just how stiff his neck was.

Aunt Minnie was standing just inside the door, head down, with her hand on Lily's shoulder. Lily's own hand was clutching hers in return.

The look on Lily's face made something hurt inside Sev. His belly twisted itself left and right, and he wanted nothing more than to tell her he was okay. He opened his mouth to do just that, but the words never got to make their debut; Lily launched herself across the room, tears on her cheeks.

She didn't have far to go - there were only a few beds between Sev and the door. He couldn't help but laugh as she all but vaulted onto his bed. It was a tired, dry, croak of a thing that hurt his throat, but her answering smile made it well worth it.

Lily sat at the end of the bed, and Aunt Minnie, who had walked across the room instead of nearly flying, helped him sit against the head of it. Aunt Minnie transfigured a chair out of a sheet and sat next to the bed. There was contented silence around the trio for a while.

Until Aunt Minnie cleared her throat softly.

Sev took care in turning his head to look at her, trying not to pull on it anymore, and she didn't speak until he was looking her right in the eyes.

"I believe I owe you an explanation, laddie," she started. Her words were tight and sharp, her accent controlled. This wasn't going to be a conversation he liked.

"Once, just over 20 years ago, five young girls started Hogwarts at the same time. Two of them were just a year older than the middle two - a slytherin and a ravenclaw. They hadn't made any friends aside from them own selves, and sought out potential in the new year. That was where they met the next two girls. The third came in the year after that, finishing off the group. They were an unlikely bunch, really. There was a gryffindor, a ravenclaw, a hufflepuff, and two slytherins. These five girls were close as sisters could be, three of them even forsaking that which they had previously known to keep their friendship strong and true. There were no secrets between the girls. Fights, yes, but no secrets. They met and chatted every day, spent holidays together, and shared every detail of their lives together. This went on for the next ten years or so."

Sev was watching Aunt Minnie with a mix of dread and rapt attention, the result of knowing the inevitable end of the story.

"When the girls were still young, only in their twenties, things started to go wrong. Two of the girls were pulled in all sorts of directions by their families. The doctrines and ideologies they had previously sworn off had come back to haunt them. Two of the others were in continued schooling at the time, and the last girl had already finished hers. She was the most renowned potions mistress in Britain, and the best in the last century. It didn't stay that way for long, however."

Sev was leaning in as much as his stiff body would permit.

"See, the three girls who had previously forsaken their teachings of their families were having great trouble. They had sworn off a very old and very traditional look at magic, one that said magic belonged in pure families, with only the best of heritages. Muggles and muggleborns were dirt to them, unworthy of the gift of magic. These girls were against this ideology. They had to be. While they may have been purebloods - that is, people whose grandparents or further back were all magical - their friends were both half-bloods. Their families had reacted quite harshly to this.

Evangeline Burke was the middle of the group, and you might recognise the name. The moment her family discovered her allegiances and changed views, a betrothal contract was drawn up to the most gruesome man her parents could possibly find. The only thing that stopped the wedding was continual threats of suicide. The family couldn't well abide by that. She was the last Burke heir, and an end to her would have been an end to the Burke line.

Alexandra Flint was similar in a way. She was the second oldest and a ravenclaw. Her family, very old and very, very traditional in mind, hadn't taken too well to this. They took even less well to a magical disease she came down with in her sixth year. This disease had and still has no name. It has no treatment nor cure. It eats away at magic, slowly but surely, leaving the person no more than a squib. Alexandra couldn't well use the threat of suicide to keep her parents on her side. No, she had two older brothers. She wasn't important in their eyes. It was only the wishes of her brothers that kept her from being cast out of the family.

Eileen Prince was the oldest of us all, and a pureblood as well. Her family had been quite proud of her as she grew. She was a natural occlumens, much like you yourself are, and an amazing potions mistress. I daresay I've never seen one better myself. She lacked in looks, just only. She didn't have Evangeline's sharp eyes and silver tongue, nor Alexandra's delicate little features. She lacked Pomona's cheerfulness and warming smile, and she didn't have Minerva's Scottish thick hair. No, Eileen just was, and that was alright by her. She didn't have to have children; she had a brother for that. She simply hid her secrets and pursued her interests, and all was well until she obtained her mastery.

She had completed it in record time, you see, and her family wanted to celebrate it, holding a ball in her honour. Eileen, in all her excitement, invited her closest friends, forgetting the secret she had hidden from her parents. She couldn't warn anyone, though. Her parents would have been suspicious if her friends hadn't shown up, and she couldn't well expose them without exposing herself. And so the ball went on.

It went surprisingly well, I'd like to think. No one asked and no one pried, simply taking Pomona and myself to be school friends of Eileen's. A good guess, too. We'd observed our friends well enough to know the ways of purebloods, making us passable amongst them. It would have continued to go well, too, had her parents not asked for more than just a first name.

Sprout is a common enough wizarding surname. Not pure by any means, but common. McGonagall, however, is not wizarding in the slightest. Her parents knew, and a royal fuss was kicked up. The ball was ended early, everyone dismissed. Eileen was denounced then and there, and her friends thrown out with her.

After that, Eileen didn't have anywhere to go. No wizarding family could support her, not without bringing in the wrath of her family, and Pomona and I were still working on our masteries. It left her with only one choice - the muggle world. Problem with this was that she had no muggle skills. Her potions were useless to them, and no witch or wizard who valued their life would order from her. She didn't know how to cook or do any elaborate maths. She couldn't sing or draw or play an instrument.

As such, we set up a collective allowance for her. 500 galleons a month. It would be enough for her to pay rent and buy food if she got it converted, with a little extra she could save up for schooling. And - and to my knowledge that's what she did."

Sev finally realised that Aunt Minnie was crying. Just barely, but there were tears in her eyes, and her chin just barely trembled.

"Aunt Minnie…"

"What happened after that?"

Sev could have cursed Lily, he really could have.

Aunt Minnie gave herself a little shake, as if it would really pull her back together. "She met Tobias Snape after a few years. Fancied herself in love and married him. It was the final straw for her family, who disowned her. We attended her wedding, though. We all did. And then she cut all communications with us. We searched and searched, but there was no sign of Eileen Prince and Tobias Snape. And, with that, the rest of us drifted away. Alexandra, while a squib, stayed in the wizarding world. She is and was incredibly bitter at your mother. She felt abandoned. Evangeline didn't know what to do, either. She settled for accepting her marriage, and her husband was sent to Azkaban not long after for murdering her parents. After that debacle, she went to work under Alexandra, who put their friendly past far behind them. Doesn't even let Evangeline call her Alexandra. Pomona and myself stuck together, maintaining loose ties with Evangeline. We're both teachers here, now. And… and that was it, until your new mother tried to contact Alexandra, who let it all slip to Evangeline, who in turn came running to me for help."

Sev nodded. This was a lot to take in, but he felt he could make sense of it in time.

"I wanted to help you, however I had to. I thought… I thought that occlumency would be good for you, and that the headmaster would be quite able to teach it to you. He was quite willing to when I told him who your mother was, and he insisted on teaching you potions as well, and extended the summer welcome to you. I should have known something was wrong then, laddie, and I'm sorry I didn't. I simply took at as his usual way - playing something in his favour."

Sev shrugged softly. "It's okay, Aunt Minnie. You just wanted to help me."

Aunt Minnie's head hung, just ever so slightly.

"You didn't mean for me to get hurt. You were helping us out at Diagon Alley all day, Aunt Minnie, and we made you really worried when we ran. I know you weren't planning on… whatever that was."

Flames sparked in Aunt Minnie's eyes and Lily gave a soft cough.

It took him nearly a minute, but eventually Sev was turned back to face her.

"Aunt Minnie explained that one to me earlier. He used the Legilimens spell on you," she told him. "I read up on it. It's a pretty hard spell to do, and a rather nasty one. It lets the user force themself into the mindscape of the victim - and that's damned well what they are." Lily's words were fierce a biting, and Sev felt the faintest of pities for Dumbledore. "To quote the book, 'If done improperly, the sheer force of the spell rips through the mind of the recipient, causing extreme pain. In some cases, the force is too great for the recipient, and it tears through the actual mind itself. The general result is a loss of normal functions, and in some cases coma or death.'" She shook her head. "Apparently we're lucky that you're a natural occlumens - that's someone who can protect their mind from a legilimens - otherwise that pompous little cervicalgia could have done some really bad damage."

Sev could have sworn she muttered something else, but he ignored it for now. There were bigger issues at hand. "You're telling me that that… that… whatever it is Lily said! You're telling me he used a spell that could do that? On me?"

Lily nodded, and he had a feeling Aunt Minnie had, too.

There was a hushed buzzing in his ears as indignation rose through him. What had he ever done to Albus Dumbledore? He didn't even know the man! He'd come here at his request to learn something that was supposed to be useful, and the man had outright attacked him! Without knowing if he could defend himself, at that!

Sev sat there for quite a while, staring just above Lily's head. He waited out the anger, letting it dissipate and settle into something more akin to a cool bristling.

"I won't learn occlumency," he whispered eventually, more to himself than anyone else. "It's not exactly like I need to."

**~x~x~**

It took two more days for Sev to be released from the hospital wing by a rather fussy Madame Pomfrey.

Lily and Aunt Minnie had been faithful visitors, checking in on him every few hours. He'd also met Pomona Sprout, who had regaled him with tales of his mother and her friends until he fell asleep. Sometimes, Madame Pomfrey would add in bits, telling him just how many times those five had done something foolish and landed themselves in the hospital wing.

Sev also got his first introduction to house elves while he was there.

It had been that first night there, just around around dinner time, when the oddest little creature he had ever seen appeared at the end of his bed.

He could see well enough that it was short, about as tall as the goblins at Gringotts. It had tennis ball sized eyes, and large bat-like ears. Its skin was just a bit wrinkled, almost like dark leather covering thin limbs and a rather distinct nose. There was a tunic draped about it, tied together at the shoulders, with a crest emblazoned over the left breast.

It took him a minute to realise that the creature was bowing at him, carefully keeping a laden tray aloft. It finally straightened up after nearly a minute.

"Tilly is being honoured to meet Master Severus, sir! The Mistress Lily is being talking of yous so nicely!" It had a high voice, one that came out in a not quite squeak that still managed to maintain a note of pride. Whatever the little creature was, Sev liked it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, as well, Tilly," he said.

Tilly beamed up at him, over large ears wiggling ever so slightly. "Master Severus is indeed being a kind sir! Such a nice sirs, yes, pleased to be meetings Tilly, oh yes!" Tilly paused, realising the tray that had yet to be given to Sev. "Oh no! Be forgiving Tilly, sir! Tilly is being forgetting to give Master Severus his food!" Worry overcame the little creature's face, twisting it up something awful.

"Shhh, Tilly, it's fine!" Tilly was on the verge of wailing now, with a hard grip on the tray.

"Tilly! Tilly! If you give me the tray, that'd make you good again, right?"

Tilly paused, bright eyes replacing the horrible grimace. "Master Severus is being kind _and_ smart!" The tray was handed over to him. "Such a good master, he is! Tilly will be staying with the master, oh yes Tilly will be!"

Sev was going to question the little creature, but it disappeared with a vibrant grin and a wiggle of the ears.

**.**

He was somewhere between bemused and slight horror to see Tilly again in the morning. He now knew, by way of Madame Pomfrey, that Tilly was a house elf ("They're magical creatures whose lives revolve around serving. It's what they live for") who had become rather attached to Lily. That is, until yesterday, when Tilly had become absolutely taken with Sev. Tilly was one of the Hogwarts house elves, servicing the castle and all her residents. She was a free elf, Madame Pomfrey had assured him, working for small pay at the castle of her (Sev never really was sure how Madame Pomfrey knew Tilly was a girl, but he didn't really want to ask) own free will until she found herself a family to serve. From the looks of things, Sev was going to be that family. He had that in mind when Tilly appeared the next morning with a breakfast tray.

The house elf was beaming the entire time, a radiant smile across her face while she worked. She turned down Sev's sheets with a swish of the finger and made sure the area around his bed was dusted. She ensured he'd taken his potions and gave him a change of pyjamas, and then finally the tray was set across his lap. She'd hummed the whole time.

He knew from last night that she was leaving when she smiled, and an idea overtook him before she could.

"Tilly, wait!" he shouted.

She did, her smile just barely dropping.

"Tilly, you're a free elf right?"

She nodded. "Tilly is not being serving a family, Master Severus. Tilly is free and being making a galleon a day at Hoggywarts!" Pride filled her voice.

"Would you consider leaving, Tilly?" he asked, ever so hesitantly.

Tilly looked shocked at the idea. "Tilly could be being leaving any times, Master Severus! Tilly is free! But Tilly is liking serving, yes, and Tilly is wanting a family to serve! So Tilly is being staying at Hoggywarts until a good Master is wanting Tilly, sir."

Sev gave her a soft smile. "Would you like to serve me, Tilly?"

Tilly, it turned out, was over the moon at the idea. She was bouncing on the floor, and Sev swore she would start crying any minute.

"I do need an answer, Tilly."

Tilly nodded her head over and over. "Master Severus is a good kind sir, being offering Tilly a position for him! Tilly is being delighted, sir!"

Sev grinned. "Well, how about we make it official, yeah?"

Tilly nodded more, and Sev assumed she was trying to stop herself from squeaking. "Is Master Severus being needing Tilly to wear special clothes, sir? Or is Tilly being getting new tunics, Master?"

That one Sev had to think on. He didn't really like the tunic he had already seen on Tilly. It looked more like a pillowcase than anything else. He couldn't really think of anything else suitable, either, except, maybe…

"Tilly, I need you to do a few things. Firstly, with my stuff is a bag, in which I have a sheet with the Evans crest on it," he started. "I need you to take it and a few galleons - which you may take from the bag - to Madame Malkin's in Diagon Alley, okay?"

Tilly nodded. "What does Tilly needs to be ordering, sir?"

"Order yourself three white linen button ups, three vests in the same purple as the crest, and three pairs of fine black wool slacks. Have the crest at the top of the page embroidered on the left breast of the vests, and get copper buttons on it, as well. Can you do this, Tilly?"

Tilly finally gave in, an excited little squeak bursting forth. "Tilly is getting just as Master Severus is ordering, sir!"

"And Tilly!" he call out before she left. "You'll show me when they're done, yes?"

She disappeared with a wide grin.

**.**

Tilly wasn't back again until dinner, and Sev really had to applaud himself. The outfit was sharp, and Tilly looked the way he had seen some fancier staff members of restaurants and such looking. He was proud of himself, and Tilly looked quite happy with herself.

"That looks great, Tilly!"

She wiggled her ears. "Master Severus was picking good ideas, yes! Is a good outfit fits for proud house elveses!"

Sev couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm glad you enjoy it, Tilly. But, now we need to talk about what house elves do."

Tilly nodded. "Tilly is being good at many things! Tilly can being cooking and baking and doing the laundries and cleaning and tidying and being in the yards, too! Tilly is a good elf, Master Severus!"

"That's all wonderful, Tilly, really," he said, laughing just a bit, "but I don't need quite that much. At least, not at home."

Tilly looked taken back. "Master is not being needing Tilly for things?" Her lip started to quiver.

"No, no Tilly!" _Oh, please don't let her cry._ "I have a mum who likes doing a lot of those things herself, but maybe you can help her!"

Tilly perked up a bit at this.

"My mum is a gardener, so you could always help her with the weeding and planting, yeah?" Tilly gave him a slow nod. "And we have a small family, so cooking isn't very hard, but maybe you could help prepare things, or give my mum nights off with it." Tilly nodded again. "You're always welcome to clean my room, though! And do the laundry!" Tilly laughed, just a little.

"Tilly is doing laundry if Master is being putting them aways right!"

Sev laughed with her. "That's not a bad compromise at all, Tilly. And while we're at Hogwarts, you can do all you want to, yes?"

Tilly was bouncing again. "Master is good and kind! A good sir, and being kind to his Tilly!" She gave him a wide grin, one he knew he would come to be fond of. "Tilly is being retrieving Master tomorrow after dinners, and Master is being shown his rooms!"

"Sounds like a plan, Tilly."

**.**

Tilly did not get to take Sev to his rooms as soon as she wanted. Madame Pomfrey insisted on keeping him just one more night to make sure he was fine, leaving a pouty Tilly by Sev's bedside all night. Accordingly, she barely slept, instead choosing to clean and plan out schedules with Aunt Minnie's help. She was quite excited to show him those while he ate.

Sev was sat up in bed, finally in his normal clothes, with a bowl of porridge in his lap. Tilly was sitting next to him, a few sheets of paper in her hands.

"Tilly is being a good elf, yes she is. Tilly was being planning for Master's days with his Lily and the Gonygall, yes. Tilly is being thinking it's a good one. Master gets up at eight every day, a good time for growing masters! Then Tilly is being bringing him breakfast and running his bath for after, yes, and setting out clothes for Master. Master is being doing classes with the Gonygall and his Lily in the mornings, being practising changing things, and reading and writing practices, too! Then Tilly is being serving lunches and tea, and after Master Severus and Miss Lily is being independant studying until dinner, and Master is being at play time with his Lily, so they's being able to sleep at night."

Tilly's feet were kicking as she pointed out everything her and Aunt Minnie had worked on, and Sev had to grin around his porridge. Tilly looked so honestly happy to be serving him. He was still debating paying her (he wasn't sure if she'd accept or not), but he was rather happy with his spur of the moment choice.

"Excellent job, Tilly," he told her, and she was positively beaming.

"Master Severus is being so kinds always to his Tilly! Giving Tilly compliments, he does! Master Severus is a good master, yes sirs!"

Sev gave her a gentle smile. "I'm treating you how you should always be treated - with kindness and respect. Everyone deserves it."

Tilly gave him the oddest look before nodding, and something wrenched inside of Sev. She knew. He didn't know how she knew, but Tilly knew exactly what it was he had gone through.

He didn't think he minded much.

**~x~x~**

Hogwarts, it turned out, had not had a guest suite in long term use in quite some time. They were located in the long gallery on the seventh floor corridor. The hall was quiet, almost muffled with the amount of dust and cobwebs clinging to it. Doors lined the hall at equal intervals, with windows facing them all. Sev could see bits of dust as they filtered lazily through the sunlight, only to settle in against the old stone again.

The windows were large, monstrous things, with thick panes painting out marvellous pictures. Stained glass windows. he knew that one. Each piece of coloured glass was held in place by thick pieces of metal, probably lead in this case. Some chunks were as small as his thumb, yet others were as big as his chest. The pictures they made were wonderful, though. One was a forest, and another an impassable river. There was one of a unicorn, and another of a fierce dragon. Every one was unique and equally awe inspiring.

He almost didn't notice Tilly stop.

"We's being here, Master Severus, sir," she squeaked.

The door in front of them was quite the affair. Nearly halfway into the hall, it was a deep, richly coloured wood that looked as if it had been hand carved. Every piece was lain in carefully together, forming a beautifully arched double door, with great iron handles in the middle. Looking carefully, Sev could see that they formed twisting ivy branches, complete with leaves at the top on bottom. And there, right in the middle, was a ball of green light.

"Tilly, what's that?" He pointed at the light, careful not to touch it.

Tilly laughed. "That's being saying there's misses and masters inside, like the Gonygall and Miss Lillies, sir."

"Quite a helpful little thing, isn't it?"

Tilly nodded. "Shall Tilly be announcing the master? The Gonygall and Miss Lily shoulds be practising the changing things now in the main room."

Sev gave her a slight nod, and she opened the door, motioning him through.

The door led to a small anteroom of sorts. There was an old fashioned chandelier hanging from the roof, an ornate thing he could have sworn was wrought from liquid silver. It flashed in the candlelight, giving the room a sophisticated glow. The floor was stone again, but different from the one of the hall. This one was darker and much more solid looking. He could have sworn it was called slate or some other such. The floor was topped by a handsome rug, woven of strands of blue and green and silver, swirled together and looking like the sort of lake one finds in a fairytale. The walls were painted a not quite white, setting off the dark wooden door opposite him rather well.

It was through that door Tilly went, motioning him to stay as she left. She didn't close the door all the way, and he could hear her announcement through it.

"The Gonygall and Miss Lily! Tilly is being announcing that the young Master Severus is being free from Madame Pompy and is now waiting in the anteroom. Is Tilly to be letting him in? Oh! Ands we have guests! Is Tilly being introducing them?"

There wasn't answer, but there didn't really need to be. The door popped open flooding the little anteroom with bright daylight. There, shrouded in the light, was Lily. Her hair was alight like fire, and her smile was exuberance defined. Sev couldn't help but grin.

And, of course, there behind Lily stood Aunt Minnie, and a host of other figures.

He was going to question them when Lily reached forward, grabbing his hand.

"Come on, Sev! We have guests today!"

**~x~x~**

Sev had never really experienced self-consciousness the way he had when everyone was being introduced. They were a ragtag bunch of kids, really, mostly just children of Aunt Minnie's various friends.

James Potter was the first to be introduced. One of the exceptions to the whys of being there, he was more than tall enough for his age. He was dark, with hazel eyes that all but glowed underneath thick black locks. His hair, while neatly cut, stuck out in odd waves and curls, rebelling wherever it could. It didn't take long for Sev to recognise him as one of the kids from Diagon Alley (which was apparently why he was there).

Frank Longbottom was the next up, gently pushed forward by Aunt Minnie. At eleven, Frank was taller than all of them, and heavier set. He was a bit pale, with light sprinkles of freckles on his cheeks and a habit of blushing. His hair and eyes were the same warm, dark brown, and Sev couldn't help but liken them to chocolate.

Alice Downing didn't need any prompting to introduce herself. While she was eleven, she wasn't too much taller than Lily. She was a pale little thing, with brown sunburst eyes and a head full of curly, chestnut hair that she kept pulled back in the messiest bun Sev had ever seen. Her smile was crooked and her nose buttoned, and Sev noticed that Frank had a habit of looking at her when she couldn't see him.

There was Marlene McKinnon, whose mum had known Aunt Minnie while they were at school. Apparently she was the carbon copy of her mother, from her bright blue eyes, to her tiny nose, and everything else there could be between those brown plaits and her delicate looking feet. For her all her thinness, and despite how delicate she looked, Marlene was a quick little thing, with a temper faster than she was.

The last to introduce himself was a boy even smaller than Severus himself; Remus. His hair was golden and yet brown, and something in Sev told him that it would be incredibly soft. His eyes were like liquid copper, or bronze, or maybe amber. Sev couldn't quite put a name to it, but he was so distracted by them that he hadn't noticed the extensive scarring that marred the boy's neck and the side of his face, and he could bet that it went down to his shoulder, too. He caught the boy's eyes and, for the briefest of moments, he could have sworn he saw a flash of teeth and claws. He shook the thought off, though, taken in by his own gangly appearance.

He was small, he knew that. Everyone knew that, and the reasons were easily blamed on Tobias. He was still acutely resentful of it, though. The only person he had any height on in the room, aside from Tilly, was Remus, and that was only by an inch or two. Definitely no more than three. He was pale, too, but he didn't look like porcelain in the way that Marlene did. His skin had the faintest tinges of yellow, brought to light by his translucence. Then there was his hair, thick and dark and lanky, with an overwhelming tendency of filling itself with grease. His nose was still mostly okay, if only just a little crooked. His eyes were incredibly dark, and they were probably the only dark thing about him.

He caught himself shuffling about awkwardly and realised he hadn't introduced himself yet.

"Hullo. M' name's Severus, but you can call me Sev if you'd like," he mumbled.

If he'd looked up, he would have seen the smile Aunt Minnie had shot his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, first off, this is NOT a bad Dumbles! I want to make that clear first. He's more or less grey (that's the aim, at least). He had the greater good in mind, once upon a time, but he's forgotten to see the details of his bigger picture, which is an ideal wizarding world. So, he's a good guy, but he's going about it all wrong, yeah?  
> Also, Sev gets many, many good things after this! I promise!


	9. Sirius Black and the Medical Exam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius shows up (finally), Sev makes some new good friends, and everyone goes to visit Madame Pomfrey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took a bit to get out, and it isn't as long as the past few chapters have been!  
> Thank you all, again, for all of the love the story is getting. It means so much to me!  
> Extra thanks to Piffy and Azaldhre, the best betas a girl could have!
> 
> Plese let me know if I missed anything in my britpicking? Thanks!

Minerva had a rather short list of people whom she truly despised, but it was a very passionate one.

There was that awful little toad of a Slytherin. Nasty thing, with that horrible grin and those damned pink ribbons and her pink quill and that sickeningly sweet voice. She was glad that this next year would probably be her last with that one.

There was Eileen's parents, right next to Genie's parents, who were right below Alexandra's. Awful people, the lot.

Not quite so bad, though, as Albus Dumbledore. The nerve of him! Mentally attacking a child right after he met him, without any warning or prior preparation! He hadn't even known that Sev would be able to protect himself! He could have damaged the boy, quite severely! His excuses hadn't even stacked up.

" _Now, now, Poppy, Minerva. It had to be done. I had faith in the boy. His mother was a natural occlumens, you know that. The odds of Severus himself not inheriting the skill were so very low, I thought it the reasonable choice. Now, I couldn't have informed him. He would have been confused, and I could have hurt him more. Yes, I understand that he could have been initially hurt, but it was quite the low possibility. No, I wasn't snooping through his memories, Poppy. Yes, I have heard the recollection of events. I was merely trying to direct his thoughts. Oh, nothing in particular. I think it was potions. Eileen was quite good at that, you know."_

And he'd gone on and on, believing that it was a sound choice.

Poppy and Minerva had both banned Dumbledore from access to the boy, at which he'd pitched a royal fit. They hadn't cared. Banned was banned. The seething letter from Rose Evans the next morning had sealed the deal.

That all paled in comparison to what Minerva thought of Tobias Snape as she watched his son struggle with the other kids.

She had invited over a few children that she knew as a last minute surprise, in the hopes of giving Lily and Severus some new magical companions. Lily had taken to it like a duck takes to a loch, but Severus… He was small, only bigger than the Lupin boy by a handful of centimeters and half a stone at most. He was gawky and awkward, at a time when his skills should have been blooming. He was shy and nervous, and it was quite the stark comparison when you sat him next to Lily. Lily was more than fine, running and playing with the other children, and showing off the few spells she had already learned with Alice and Frank.

Where Lily and the other children were quite likely to roughhouse and joke around, Sev was content to watch. He only really interacted with Lily and, not surprisingly, the Lupin boy. _What was his name?_ Remus. The two had a rather animated discussion about some odd book or another.

Anger seeped into her slowly because of Tobias Snape. He'd left Severus damaged, and in desperate need of help that he didn't know how to ask for. And then Albus Dumbledore of all the bloody people in the world had gone and attacked him!

She huffed in her chair. The children were sat at a table in the spacious dining room, enjoying some afternoon tea. Severus had pulled his chair away from the other kids, not far enough to be noticed, but far enough to have some breathing room. He'd sat himself in a comfort zone, right between Remus and Lily. He was quiet, nibbling cautiously at a biscuit while Lily regaled them with tales of their adventures since he'd moved in with them. On his other side, Remus was munching quite happily at a pile of small sandwiches. Sev was as far as he could be from James and Frank, which meant that they were practically opposite him at the table.

Minerva sighed. She almost wished that Walburga's older boy had been able to make it. He and Severus would have had a much better understanding of each other. She could already see him running amuck and learning how to open up with Remus and Severus in tow. The thought gave her heart a little jump.

She hoped that she could bring a bit of relief and happiness to the boy before the summer was out.

**~x~x~**

Severus didn't know how he felt about this bunch of kids, not as a whole. They were rambunctious and rowdy and rather rough, and they left him feeling torn.

He'd stayed away from James and Frank, purely out of a bias formed that day at Diagon Alley. It didn't help that the two were clearly already good friends, despite their age gap. James had tried to befriend him, but given up quickly when Sev shut him out. He'd focused more on Lily at that point.

Alice was nice enough, quite content to simply sit and chat, but she'd found better company in Marlene and Lily, who weren't quite so rough as James and Frank were. They were still up to play, though, and not quite as willing to sit and talk about books.

Marlene was a playful thing, dancing about constantly. He didn't think she knew how to just walk, really. _She'd get along great with Tuney…_

He'd tried to dance with her, but he only knew ballet, and she knew none of it. Ballet was a simple muggle thing, she'd been told, and wasn't taught to wizarding youth.

That only left him with two options: Lily, who was quite happy with her new friends, and Remus Lupin. The two were quite the pair. They were both quiet and shy, something Sev was rather happy with. Remus knew books, both magical and muggle, and knew some of the wildest stories. These he told to Severus with great enthusiasm, and Sev sat and watched the other boy with rapt attention.

He sat and listened to him until afternoon tea, at which point the stories quieted down. Afterwards, Sev and all the rest of them watched and listened as Remus told and acted out the most enchanting stories he could think of. Aunt Minnie ended up helping him out a few times, too. Remus would hit a peak in his story, and Aunt Minnie would cast some spell or another, causing wondrous effects that only served to draw the children in further.

It was the best summer day Severus had ever had. He had a new friend, and Lily had other children to harass, and he'd spent the whole day in happy comfort.

**~x~x~**

The children were cleaning up for dinner when the day got more interesting.

Sev was the closest to the source of the interest. He was testing out a cleaning spell that Aunt Minnie had shown him, trying to clean up a scorched piece of stone. He'd been focused on it, trying to get the wand motion _just right_ before incanting the spell.

The great whoosh of the fire behind him had startled him, making him jump and let out a little yelp.

The fireplace was lit, and the fire was _green_ of all the bloody things it could be.

Sev almost called it quits when a boy started to step through the fire.

"Minerva!" he called out, voice dripping with false bravado. "Minerva, dear, you weren't in your rooms, so I had an elf tell me where you were. I hope you don't terribly mind."

The more the boy talked, with only a leg in the fire, the more Sev realised that he wasn't faking bravado; He was faking poshness. And badly.

Sev could see Minerva peeking around the wall from the corner of his eye. When he looked over, he could see she had the oddest look of confusion ever.

"Sirius?" she asked.

The boy in the fire waltzed out at last. He was rather handsomely dressed, wearing a traditional wizarding robe lined all down the front with tens of little buttons. He wore it open over well tailored wool trousers, with leather boots and an ironed button up that looked like it was made from a fine linen. There was a crest on his robe, but the boy - Sirius, that was his name - swaggered about too much for Sev to get a particularly good look at it.

His face took Severus by surprise. The boy couldn't have been much older than Severus and Remus, being about their size, but his face was already finely chiseled and light, with soft angles and arches everywhere. His nose was tiny and sharp, and it turned up just ever so slightly at the tip. And those eyes. If Remus' eyes were amber and copper, then Sirius' were starlit silver, topped by arched black brows and thick, wavy black hair, and what had to be the snobbiest expression he'd ever seen.

Sev shook himself when he realised he'd been staring.

"- knows I'm here. Why wouldn't Mother know that I'm staying the week with her dearest friend Minerva and her newest charges?" Sirius was batting his eyes, and his look could have been interpreted as an attempt at angelic, if he hadn't been smirking. His eyes were crinkled and his teeth shone, and Sev thought he looking like a poncy little git like that.

Aunt Minnie had stepped into the den, and her arms were crossed and her foot tapped. For a second, Sev could have sworn he'd seen Mum doing the same thing at the bottom of the stairs.

He shook himself again. That was the second time that had happened today, and he hadn't liked the intruding flashes. They got in the way, like they were now.

Aunt Minnie had narrowed her eyes at the boy, who was giving her a grin that any adult would have called shit eating. They stayed like that for a good while, during which the other kids slowly filled in around the edges of the room. It stayed quiet until James passed in front of Sirius, whose eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Oh! You have _got_ to be a Potter! You are, aren't you?" he nearly shouted.

James nodded tentatively, and Sev could already feel that this was going to get awkward.

"That means you're _James Potter!_ " Sirius gave a little dance. "Oh, hero of my little heart!"

James looked like he'd rather barf.

"I'm Sirius Black, and Mother's name is Walburga, which makes _you_ the boy who convinced our house elves to put spiders in all of her food!"

James groaned. "Yeah… Yeah, that one was me…"

"It was brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed, before running up and grabbing the larger boy's hands. Sev couldn't help but feel bad for James.

"It was a childish prank on someone who didn't deserve it," James told him with a scowl. "It wasn't funny or entertaining. It was a cruel joke on someone who had kindly invited my family into her home in an attempt to get to know her distant relatives. An attempt which I ruined, might I add."

Sirius frowned at him and opened his mouth to say something.

"Hey! What's supposed to be so funny about having spiders in all of your food?"

Severus stood up a little straighter when Sirius turned to look at him, and he gripped his wand just a little tighter.

"It's funny because she's a mean old bat, and mean old bats eat spiders," Sirius rather rudely informed him.

Severus frowned at him. "'S not funny. Not at all. She could have been allergic, or deathly scared of them. They could have still been alive and bitten her or something! And then you'd have no mother and how would that feel?"

"It would feel," Sirius started, his voice getting as pompous as Sev thought was possible "absolutely wonderful to be free of that wretched old hag."

He was about to retort that statement, asking how bad she could possibly be, when Lily marched over and punched him as hard as she could in the arm.

Severus nearly winced in sympathy. He'd been punched by a Lily a few times, and it wasn't a pleasant experience.

On the other side of the room, Sirius had given a great wail of pain and was clutching his arm while Lily berated him.

"You stupid little poncy brat!" she shouted, and the other girls nodded in agreement. She looked like she was about to start ripping into him some more, but Aunt Minnie came over and grabbed her shoulder.

"Lily, Sirius is one of your guests for the next week. It would be untoward of you to start a street brawl with him in the middle of your den," she said simply.

Lily's face set in a deep frown, and Sev just knew she was about to make things worse.

"Lils! Do you really want Mum to hear that you started a fight? With a _guest?_ " She glanced over at him. "What would Da think?"

She looked away and dragged her toes on the dark stone beneath her. She was quiet for a moment before knocking her toes against Sirius' shin.

"Don't be such a bloody ponce and we won't have any problems, yeah?"

She walked away before he could answer, and Sev took the chance to get up close to Sirius. Alice, Remus, and Frank had the same idea, while Marlene and James went over to talk with Lily.

Sirius was shuffling about in the absence of his poor acting skills, and Alice was the first to break the silence. She jammed her hand out, nearly sticking him in the ribs.

Sirius had flinched back in the oddest of ways, and Sev immediately knew exactly what made his mum a mean old bat. Sev swatted Alice's hand away before shaking his head ever so slightly. Alice merely shrugged and continued on.

"I'm Alice, Alice Downing," she said, with a bright little smile.

Sirius returned it halfheartedly. "Mother says that the Downings are a bunch of muggle loving half-bloods, and that you're all breeding like rabbits-" Alice gave an indignant gasp "-but Mother is a nutter, so it's not like it matters what she says. I'm Sirius, by the way. Sirius Black."

The boys all chuckled at Sirius' comment, and Alice just shook her head.

"Frank Longbottom. If my mum is to be believed, we're…"

"Third cousins, twice times removed, I believe. Your grandmother was a Black, and my second cousin, once removed. _Her_ father was my great grandfather's brother."

Frank shot him a grin. "So it is, so it is. Nice to meet you, cousin."

Sirius nodded briefly before turning to look at Remus, who was more off to the side.

"I'm Remus Lupin. You probably wouldn't know my family. We're pretty new." He shifted about a bit, his brows furrowing just so.

Sirius' grinned, though. "You're Lyall Lupin's boy, aren't you?" Remus nodded shortly. "Mother absolutely despises your father. Thinks he's biased by the Light and all, with no respect for Dark creatures."

Remus scoffed. "There's a healthy mix of respect and fear and pure dislike there."

It looked like Sirius was going to say something else, but Remus shook his head, just one, sharp motion to the side, and Sirius dropped it.

There was a small moment of silence before Severus introduced himself. "I'm Severus Evans. Nice to meet you."

Sirius gave him a brilliant smile. "A muggleborn! How I'd love to bring _you_ home. Mother would have a conniption!"

"I don't think I'd want to that…"

"Nonsense!" Sirius exclaimed, before clapping a hand on Sev's shoulder. He had only barely flinched, but Sirius whipped his hand away like he'd been burnt. Sev wasn't sure, but he thought his hand was shaking as he lowered it. Sirius continued on despite it.

"Now, who're those losers?"

**~x~x~**

Sirius Black, it turned out, was a wild card, who would swing between quiet shyness and boisterous flamboyance. It gave Sev a headache. He had shouted a total of eight times at dinner, stayed silent for an hour, and then shouted twenty more times in as many minutes.

His stories were more fantastic and animated than Remus', but not as well told, and he never sat still. He was always moving about or doing something. Severus wasn't entirely sure why until they settled in for bed.

Sev had stayed up, waiting for Tilly to bring him a pain relieving potion and a dose of sleeping draught from Madame Pomfrey, and the boys had all dropped off as he waited.

Frank snored excruciatingly loud, with his face pressed into his pillow and his butt stuck up in the air. James' feet were set on top of that butt, and his hands were crossed casually over his midsection. He looked like he could have been sat in the sand at a beach.

Severus himself was in his bed. James and Frank were on a mattress that Tilly had conjured directly to his left, and Sirius and Remus were on his right.

Remus was loosely curled next to the bed, snoring softly, and occasionally muttering something. Sirius, though…

Sirius was curled in tightly on himself, with his fist firmly pressed between his teeth. His eyes were scrunched tight, and Sev could have sworn that they were wet. They boy's entire body shook, and he whimpered quietly around his fist.

Severus had the overwhelming desire to pet his head and soothe him, the way he knew Lily and Rose and Harry and Tuney had all done for him (and still did). He shook it off, though, when Tilly showed up with a green potion bottle that Severus knew was _not_ a normal sleeping draught.

"Tilly, did Madame Pomfrey tell you what that is?"

Tilly nodded. "Madame Pompy is saying it is dreamless sleep, sirs. She is being thinking that it would be good for Master's nerves."

Sev motioned her closer. "Tilly, I need you to take that potion and give it to the boy shaking next to my bed. Don't wake him, no, but make sure he takes it. I think he needs it more than I do."

He held eye contact with her for the briefest of moments before she gave another nod. She went off to the side and made a circle with her finger, rolling Sirius over. A little flick had his mouth open, and another had the potion down his throat. She made a little motion with two fingers, and Sev could just barely hear Sirius swallow. A moment later and he relaxed against the mattress, and Tilly released him.

He didn't stop shaking.

Sev accept his other potion from Tilly after telling her that he wanted to see Lily right at eight the next morning.

**~x~x~**

Lily wasn't exactly happy having to be up at eight in the morning and standing in front of Sev's door, having a hushed conversation with Sev. He didn't blame her. The stone floors were cold, and eight was an awful time to be awake.

"Lily, he's always shaking, and there's something wrong with how he acts-"

"He's a _ponce_ is what's wrong, Sev," she whispered harshly.

Sev rolled his eyes. "If it were anyone else laying there and shaking, you wouldn't have a single problem dragging them by the bloody ear to the infirmary!" His whisper was just as fierce.

"What makes you so sure there's something wrong anyways?"

"I've been sort of… _seeing_ things sometimes when I look at people," he mumbled.

Lily cocked her head.

"There's a lot of times when I just sort of know things before they happen, like there's this vague idea of a thing that is probably going to happen, and I started actually seeing things yesterday…"

Lily's head stayed cocked to the side.

"Like when I met Remus, I saw fangs and claws and a lot of blood. Don't really wanna know what that one's about… And when Aunt Minnie was tapping her foot! I saw Mum doing that, but I've never actually seen her do that. But, more importantly, when I met Sirius I saw a wand and this red light, and a lady screamed Crucio, and there was this shape the light hit that crumpled on the floor…"

Lily stared at him a bit. "And?"

"I'm pretty sure that that shape was Sirius, and I get the impression that this happens a lot."

"I'm pretty sure I should drag _you_ to the infirmary. Make sure you're not permanently damaged."

Sev stood firm, though. "I'll go, but only if you take Sirius, too."

Lily's head fell back and she groaned. "Why me?"

Sev patted her shoulder before heading back into his room. "Because, Lils, you're the scariest one of us all."

**.**

In the end, it took the combined efforts of Remus, Severus, and Lily to drag a pouting Sirius across the castle to the infirmary.

Severus and Remus had each grabbed an arm, forcing Sirius to either walk or be dragged. It had looked like he'd go with dragged until Lily shoved her wand between his shoulder blades and told him to get it on with.

The raven haired boy had sulked the entire way, and was prone to dropping like a dead weight and attempting to wrestle free. This usually ended in Lily threatening to levitate him or Sev calling up Tilly, who would knock Sirius out for a few seconds. This went on and on the entire way, turning what should have been an easy ten minute walk into a near hour long adventure.

It wasn't all bad, though, Sev found.

Madame Pomfrey was more than happy to have him sit on his previous cot while she ordered Sirius to sit on the one next to it. She'd looked at Remus briefly and marched him over to Sev's other side.

It was a little awkward, he had to admit, sitting there while Madame Pomfrey readied an obscene amount of potions and gadgets with Lily just sitting there. And then he had an idea.

"Tilly!" he called, making everyone else jump. It took just a second and the Tilly was there at his side.

"Yesses, Master Severus?"

"Tilly, it's so awfully boring with just the four of us here, and Lily isn't even doing anything," he started. Tilly's ears twitched ever so slightly. "I was thinking this would be a great opportunity for Madame Pomfrey to get to know us all before we start attending Hogwarts-"

"I already know _you,_ you stubborn little mule!" Madame Pomfrey shouted from across the room.

Sev chuckled but continued on. "And it wouldn't be as awkward then, yeah?"

Tilly nodded. "Master is wishing for his new friendses to be here with him, yes?"

"Yes, Tilly. That would be wonderful."

He got the biggest of grins from Tilly and the most annoyed sound he thought Madame Pomfrey was capable of making.

"Tilly is bringing the young masters and misses and the Gonygall right aways, sirs!" she shouted, and then she was away with a small pop.

He could have sworn that the larger noise was Madame Pomfrey dropping her head on a table.

**.**

A group medical check had been a great and yet awful idea. All of the children _and_ Aunt Minnie, who hadn't shown up for her last exam, were ordered to different cots on one side of the room. Madame Pomfrey had told them that since Sev had insisted on them all having an exam, she'd give them an old fashioned group exam. This meant that once everyone had a cot, curtains sprang up around them, and they were all ordered down to their pants and told to wait their turn.

Remus was the first to go, followed by Sirius and then Sev, then Frank and then James, who would be followed in turn by Marlene, Alice, Aunt Minnie, and Lily.

Remus' exam didn't take horribly long. Madame Pomfrey went in, an occasionally Sev could see the flash of a spell above the curtains, followed by rustling parchment and muffled voices. In all, it only took about twenty minutes before the curtains next to him were yanked open, at which he could hear Sirius yelp rather loudly.

"Oh, hush now, it's not like anyone can see this, and- Mr. Black, you are neither Greek nor Roman, and my sheets are _not_ togas!"

"But-"

"Everyone else here is going to suffer the terrible fate of my diagnostic spells, Mr. Black. You won't feel them or hear them or taste them of smell them. You'll see a nice little sparkly light, the spell will do its work, and I'll have my answers," her voice dripped with a special blend of sarcasm and annoyance that Sev knew was completely unique to her. She'd apparently developed it after her first year working here by herself.

There was a quiet moment, and then some rustling, which Sev hoped was Sirius listening to common sense and obeying the lady. A moment later there was a faint gasp and the bright blue flash of a spell. It took five whole minutes for the sounds of parchment being written on to reach his ears.

After, there was a lot of muttering and mumbling and quiet discussion that Sev couldn't quite make out.

It didn't make him feel any better about his own upcoming exam.

Another fifteen or so minutes passed, and the curtain in front of Sev's cot was flung open. Madame Pomfrey's eyes were red and her cheeks were pink, and Sev hoped he never saw her looking that upset again. He also wondered what could have possibly made her that upset.

A twist of the gut told him that he'd have to ask Sirius himself.

Madame Pomfrey pulled the curtain shut behind her, taking a moment to straighten herself out before turning to Severus. Her blue eyes were cold and calculating, and Sev was starting to think that a sheet toga wasn't such a bad idea.

He didn't do it, though. He stood there, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot as Madame Pomfrey appraised him. He knew she was taking in all of those old scars and thinking of what could have possibly made them. Eventually she moved her wand in an arc before swishing it down, almost like an umbrella of sorts. A second later he was enveloped in a soft blue light.

She had been right; He couldn't hear or taste or feel or smell anything. It was just a shiny light, which helped counteract how awful he felt under the matron's scrutiny.

They stood there for a moment before a piece of parchment appeared before her. It gradually grew longer and longer, until it had to be almost a meter long. Madame Pomfrey glanced it all over, nodded, and huffed.

The parchment was rolled up, and Madame Pomfrey started pulling out a variety of little trinkets, one of which she passed to Severus. It was a dark grey ball, squished in just a bit at the sides, with a hollow at each end.

"This," she told him, "is going to measure your pulse and heart rate. Put your index finger in one of the hollows, and your thumb in the other." Sev did as she said. "Yes, just like that. _Noto Vena, Noto Cor._ " She made two little motions that he couldn't quite see before going back to her pile of trinkets.

"What else do you have to measure, Madame Pomfrey?" he asked, curiosity pushing him to look at some of the odder little things.

The matron looked up and gave him a wry grin. "After this I'll check your breathing, sight, hearing, and reflexes, then some of your other problems on this here parchment."

"Which things do you need for that?"

Madame Pomfrey took the trinket he was holding and flicked her wand at the parchment, muttering a quick _noto._ His heart rate and pulse were written down, and she wiggled her wand just a bit. "I'll be using this to check your breathing, alright?" Sev nodded.

She knelt in front of him and brought her wand to just in front of his breast bone. It tickled, the way it didn't quite touch him. " _Respiratio Voce."_

Sev couldn't help but drop his jaw as the oddest sound filled the air around them. Air was rushing about them, but only in sound. On in breaths, it was ragged around the edges, and his out breaths were rushed, but Madame Pomfrey simply nodded and muttered another _noto_ , recording the results before telling him to start taking deep breaths. Another _noto_ and she cancelled the spell.

"Alright, Mr. Evans. So good, so far. Your hearing is next. The spell I'm going to use will gradually muffle your hearing while I have a musical charm going. Let me know when you can't hear it anymore, alright?"

Sev nodded. Wizarding tests were so much easier, and didn't involve people in his business quite so much. He liked it.

Madame Pomfrey gave her wand a sharp flick just next to him, bringing to life a sharp, ringing note. It was high and clear, and not unpleasant. Her next flick was aimed at him, and it resulted in one of the most disorienting feelings he'd ever had.

He stumbled about a bit, leaving Madame Pomfrey to pick him up and set him on the bed. The note had been dampened, and he found himself wondering how it kept getting quieter. Then he remembered the spell. When he finally couldn't hear it, he tapped Madame Pomfrey on the arm. The spell was quickly cancelled, and Sev didn't feel like he was about to fall over anymore.

"Well," Madame Pomfrey started, "your hearing is perfectly fine, but your equilibrium is more than a bit off." She squatted down in front of him. "I know you've a history of head injuries, but anything specifically hurt your ears?"

Sev had to think for a minute before shaking his head.

"Ear infections?"

Another shake.

"I'll have to blame the concussions, then. Trouble flying, flooing, or apparating?"

He nodded.

"Right, then. You'll have to have a potion for that whenever you want to travel."

Sev just nodded again, and they got onto the next tests.

One involved naming off the colors an orb changed to, and telling Madame Pomfrey if it made any shapes or patterns. Another had her tapping his knees with a little hammer, and another yet had him reading off letters. She checked his throat and his mouth and his teeth and under his nails, measured him, and recorded it all.

"Anything else to tell me?" she asked, eying him speculatively.

Sev had almost forgotten, really.

"I, uhm…," he coughed awkwardly. "Sometimes I see things when I look at people?"

Madame Pomfrey's eyes widened just so, and her mouth opened just a touch. "Well! Nothing I can do about being Touched. Start taking Divination in third year, okay?"

Sev nodded. He wanted to ask more, but he figured he could just as easily research what she'd meant when she said Touched like that.

Madame Pomfrey took a few minutes to write a few things down on a piece of parchment, copied it for herself, and conjured a folder. His name was on the front, along with his birthday. There were already a few papers inside, which he had to guess were from his earlier stay. His results were put in along with them, right under the list she'd just made.

And with that she left, telling him to give the list to Tilly and to wait until she said they could all go.

He was dressed quickly and then back on the bed. He could hear that Madame Pomfrey was well into her exam with Frank, but he ignored that in favor of the list.

"

_July the Sixth, 1988._

_Prescriptions for Severus Tobias Evans, aged 8 and a half years._

_1 child's dose Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Unction every other breakfast for one month_

_1 child's dose Draught of Peace as necessary_

_1 child's dose Lung Clearing Draught every morning for two weeks_

_1 child's dose Draught of Balancing before flying, apparating, or flooing_

_2 child's dose Pain Reliever every day until August the first_

_1 child's dose Strengthening Potion every other dinner for three weeks_

_Potions are to be produced by Horace Slughorn, Hogwarts Potion Master_

_Potions will be obtained and given by Tilly the house elf_

"

The bottom was signed by Madame Pomfrey, and he couldn't help but grimace. That was a lot of potions, and he just knew that they would all taste absolutely awful.

**.**

The rest of the exams took a good three hours, after which Tilly showed up to pick up their prescriptions. It turned out that only Frank, Alice, and Lily were completely healthy. James needed glasses and an eye restorative, Marlene needed to start taking a calorie booster, and Sirius, Remus, and Severus all had their own fair share of potions to take, while Aunt Minnie was just having her prescriptions adjusted.

By the time they were all done, it was quite nearly lunch, and those with wands had missed their morning practices. Tilly had taken their prescriptions to be filled, leaving Aunt Minnie to herd them all back to the suite. It wasn't such a hard task, really. Everyone was bored and hungry, and more than willing to leave the hospital wing. The only real sulker was Sirius, who was eventually pinched on the ear by Lily and told to hurry up before they left him behind.

He didn't hurry up.

Sirius kept up his slow little trundle, and Sev, Remus, and Marlene elected to walk with him.

Sev was happy enough with the arrangement. They walked on in companionable silence, Marlene humming and skipping around them, occasionally shooting them questions.

"Hey, Sev, what's your favourite colour?"

"Green, Marlene, and yours?"

She shot him a grin. "Guess?"

Sev rolled his eyes over at Remus. An easy guess, that one. Her dress was blue with white lace trimmings, her shoes were the same blue, and she had a matched ribbon at the end of her plait.

"It's pink, right?"

Marlene's nose pinched up and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yellow, maybe?" Remus piped in, and Marlene turned her tongue on him.

"Is it purple, then?" Sev asked, and Remus followed up with a "No! It's obviously, _green_!"

"Orange?"

"Brown?"

"White?"

And then, just to his side, Sev could see Sirius' head pick up.

"Oh, but what about chamomile and fuchsia? No? Taupe? Teal? Cyan? Turquoise? Bubblegum? Champagne?"

There was an exasperated sigh from Marlene. "Ninnies, the lot of you. It's obviously-"

"Obsidian! Oh no, that's not it… Amber? Pewter? Cranberry? Mauve? Slate? Charcoal? Magenta? Honey?"

"It's _blue_ ," Marlene groaned, her head dropping forward with her shoulders.

Sirius skipped ahead to where she was, slinging his arm around her shoulder, a grin slapped right across his face. "We were just having a spot of fun, Marley, honest."

Marlene's head jerked up, and Sev glanced over at Remus.

Remus cocked his over at where Marlene was staring at Sirius in vague horror.

A nod later and the pair joined them, Remus slinging an arm over Marlene's other shoulder, and Sev over Sirius'.

"Just a joke, we promise, Marley," Sev cajoled, making Sirius snicker.

"It's not like you're all decked in blue, Marley," came from her other side.

Marlene - who Sev decided would now officially be Marley - groaned again.

And then her head lifted right back up.

"Is that how you want to play, _Siri?_ _Remy? Sevvie?_ " She had a smirk blooming as Sev grimaced, but Sirius just smiled wider.

"You know, Marley, I've never had a nickname. Think I like it."

They walked the rest of the way back like that, arms slung over each other's and laughing whenever someone's stomach growled. It felt a lot shorter than fifteen minutes, and they were all still laughing when Aunt Minnie ushered them inside.


	10. Coming and Going

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sev's friends are wonderful people, we finally get some information, and everyone goes home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out! It fought me tooth and nail, but here it is. It's shorter than they have been lately, and I'm not quite fond of how it ended up going, but a finished chapter is a finished chapter. Here's to hoping the next is better, yeah?

Lunch was a fun affair so far as Sev was concerned. He wasn't too enthusiastic about some of the food, but it _was_ all rather good food, and he knew that his mum would approve of it all.

Tilly made a great deal of fuss over the meal, insisting that they ate proper like, the way she apparently knew most of their families were wont to do. She had sat them all around the table, with Aunt Minnie at the head. Alice and Frank sat on either side of her, with Marlene, James, and Lily next to Frank. Remus, Severus, and Sirius were scrunched happily together next to Alice, with a final, empty seat at the end, where the table backed against a rather large window. They all had napkins spread neatly in their laps. Ankles were crossed, hands folded neatly.

They had been seated for a good five minutes before Tilly brought in their first course. Aunt Minnie had given her a slight nod once they were all settled, leading to Tilly bending crisply at the waist. A quick snap later, and five large fruit platters appeared before them. There were intricately carved watermelons and apples, oranges and grapefruits spread like flowers, kabobed grapes, and more exotic looking fruits that Sirius and James took time explaining to them all.

"That one," Sirius said, pointing out a rather hairy looking fruit, "is called a rambutan. Looks gross, but it's actually sweet, like grapes. The green thing next to it, the one that looks like it's scaled," he added on, moving his finger, "is a cherimoya. It tastes like something between a banana and a pineapple. Really good, as long as you don't eat the seeds. Father says they're poisonous."

Severus nodded along as he had aguaje, cupuacu, pepino, dragon fruit, star fruit, snake fruit, prepared noni, ciku, and a wide variety of berries pointed out to him. The looks of quite a few deterred him as he went about taste testing the platters closest to him. He didn't for a moment think that Tilly would serve him anything unsafe, they just… well, they looked _scary_! Some of them were hairy and others had these weird scales, and one had an absolutely disgusting smell. It reminded him of Tuney's ballet slippers and tights after a hard day's work out, and he nearly gagged when he saw Frank dig into one.

Lily and Remus, he noticed, stuck to the less exotic fruits as well.

Remus was happily munching away at an apple, while Lily pointedly ate orange slices whenever James encouraged her to try a bit of the rambutan.

Sev was all for laughing at Lily's antics and eating his own platter of pears until Sirius started to not so discreetly fill his dish with bits of dragon and snake fruit. Sev scowled at him, tossing the bits back towards Sirius. Unfortunately for them, Sirius ducked out of the way, leaving an unsuspecting Alice to be hit squarely in the cheek by a stray chunk of dragon fruit. Alice, who had been chatting amicably with Aunt Minnie about the sorts of things she should expect that coming year, turned her head slowly towards them.

In quick order, Sev, Remus, Lily, and Marlene all ducked under the table, leaving James, Sirius and Frank to Alice's new-found ire. A moment passed and James followed his friends down below. His departure was punctuated with an echoing _thwak_ and the kind of screech Sev would have attributed to banshees. As it was, Alice was close enough at the moment.

It only took a second or two, but eventually the air around them was full of the sounds of children shrieking, Aunt Minnie yelling, and fruit splattering about. Sev's face was the picture of utter delight as he saw bits of fruit falling to the floor, and pairs of feet run to escape them. Aunt Minnie continued her tirade, chasing the three children about the large dining room. She didn't stop the food fight, though, and the children under the table continued to watch on and grin. They would follow the action, pointing and screeching with laughter as Aunt Minnie failed to put any serious effort into stopping the mess. A good five or so minutes was spent like this, until a snap froze things outside the table. Well, really it was only Aunt Minnie, Alice, Frank and Sirius that froze, but it was close enough. Sev peeked his head out to see Tilly standing across from the table, thin arms crossing her chest.

Sev was quick to pull his head back, and his friends huddled in around him. None of them wanted to face the wrath of Tilly. Face it they did, however.

There was another snap, and the kids found themselves all scrabbling against the pull of Tilly's magic. They were floated out from under the table in a neat little row, all of them flailing about in the air as Tilly lined them up with the others. She gave them all a stern look. Sev couldn't help but cringe at that. He stared at his feet as she started yelling at them all. He got the feeling that everyone else was doing much the same.

"Masters and Misses is being _bad_! Yous is lacking in decorum and manners! Throwing your foods at each other! Making messes of your friends's _home_! Yous all being proper witches and wizards! Yous all being acting like little babies! Playing with food that others is being buying and preparing for you! Making messes of yourself! Yous all acting like not good heirs!" She stalked over to the very end of the line, where James was staring shamefacedly at his toes. Tilly ignored this, sticking her finger out as she walked slowly past them all. "Yous all being disgraceful Masters and Misses. Yous is being acting like good heirs now and Tilly is being bringing in second course!"

"Yes, Tilly," Sev muttered along with his friends. The food fight had been fun, but not quite worth being scolded over.

Before he could really think about it, though, Tilly spun her finger about in small circles, ridding the room and its occupants of fruit. She gave them a cursory nod before ushering them back to their places at the table. Once everyone was sitting, she nodded again.

"Tilly is making two meals for Masters and Misses, and they's being having a choice," she told them simply. "We's having pan fried chicken breast, stuffed with mozerelly and basil, and wrapped in thick bacon-" a quick upward swipe had a large platter appearing on the table - "or seared salmon fillet with baby roast potatoes and fine beans and lemon butter sauces." Another plate appeared next to it, and the smell of the two dishes filled the room. It was warm and enticing, and Sev's mouth was watering in anticipation.

"You's being telling Tilly which you want, and Tilly is servings Masters and Misses."

They all nodded, and started naming off dishes. Marlene took some of the salmon, as did Lily, while James and Frank both took the chicken. Aunt Minnie kindly asked for the chicken, as well, and Alice's side of the table alternated, with Sev and Alice taking the salmon.

It was… delectable. Amazingly scrumptious. The salmon was crusted just so on the outside, while the rest melted quite like butter. The potatoes were flavourful and done just right, and everything was beyond the limits of Sev's vocabulary. He couldn't find the words for just how wonderful he thought the meal was.

"Tilly," he groaned, "How'd you get so good at cooking?"

Tilly's ears waggled happily at that comment. She went to reply, but Lily cut her off first.

"Tilly, this is positively succulent! The salmon's got this great, herbaceous crust, and it's nearly ambrosial, what with all the flavors and how it melts in your mouth. It's all got this piquant sauce, quite tangy, really, and there's these sapid veggies!" And on she went, using words Sev had yet to learn to compliment the food while nearly bringing Tilly to tears.

There were nods and agreements all around, everyone thanking Tilly heartily for the food. Almost everyone, including Sev, had seconds when offered.

**~x~x~**

Sev was lounging on one of the various armchairs they had spread throughout the great room, contentedly patting his stomach. The chair could fit three children if they tried, so Sev was spread across it. His head was on one arm, with his feet on the other. There was a book propped against his legs about magical theory. It wasn't a curriculum book, but good for helping children understand what magic was and how it worked. At least, it was supposed to be. Sev had read the same line five times when he gave up, slamming the book shut. The questions in his head just wouldn't leave him alone.

Across the room, Lily was working on first year charms. James and Sirius were watching on with what could only be called adorement. Marley, on the other hand, had given over all her devotion to Frank and Alice as Aunt Minnie taught them beginner's transfiguration.

"Idiotic things they start with," she muttered. "A needle into a matchstick when you know nothing of magic."

He had to look around for Remus, honestly, but a soft smile crept across his face when he found him. He was snuggled into a chair much like the one Severus was in, this one much closer to the hearth. His book was open halfway through, not that it mattered much. It had fallen against the boy's chest, rising and falling slowly with his breath. His face was tilted off to the side, and he was snoring ever so slightly.

Sev was going to yell across the room for Aunt Minnie, but he thought better of it after seeing Remus asleep. He looked like he needed every minute of it. As such, Sev found himself walking carefully over to Aunt Minnie. When he was sure that Alice and Frank were doing all of the spellwork, he tapped her shoulder.

"Aunt Minnie, can we talk in private?" he whispered, face twisting into a slight frown.

She looked up at him for a brief moment before nodding.

"Tilly," she called.

The elf popped in just a moment later. "Yes? How is Tilly helping the Gonygall?"

Aunt Minnie looked around at the children. "Watch the kids, Tilly? Severus and I have some matters to discuss, and I'd rather the room not be destroyed while we're at it."

Tilly nodded before giving her a mock salute.

Sev was sure there was more to that exchange, but at that point he was already walking towards the anteroom. Aunt Minnie followed shortly.

The heavy door was closed behind them, and Sev slumped against the wall.

"I've been trying to read up on magical theory, but I've got too many questions to focus as much as I want to," he started. Aunt Minnie simply nodded, so he continued on. "I wanna start from the beginning, if it doesn't bother you too much."

Another nod.

"What did Dumbledore want with me?"

Aunt Minnie frowned slightly. "You should really call him Professor or Headmaster, Severus."

Sev just shrugged. "I'll respect him when he deserves it."

He was contemplated for a moment, he knew, before she nodded shortly.

"Albus, for as wise as he is, has stopped seeing the world so much as a world. He does everything for this greater good of his. It's like a chessboard to him, see, and we're all just pieces in his play. At the opposition lies all things we consider dark, and he's taken it upon himself to set it all to rights."

"What sorts of things does he think are dark?" He asked, frowning slightly.

"Well, there's vampires for one. They lack the same moral standings that wizards have. Werewolves, too, though not all of them are bad. Those that practice dark magics. People who would harm a-"

Sev's eyes went cold. "If you say child, I'll leave this room right now and destroy as much of Hogwarts as I can."

"Severus, he has assured us he means you no harm," she snapped. "I do not approve of his methods or reasons, but Albus Dumbledore is a good man." The look on her face left no room for questions, and, quite frankly, it scared Sev a little. "Now, as for what he wanted with you, Pomona, Poppy, and myself have come to the conclusion that he believes you possess the same sort of skills your mother did."

Sev just kept looking at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

She sighed ever so softly. "Your mother was a premier potions mistress. Many would have said she was the best in the world, really. Albus asked, on more than a few occasions, for her to come to Hogwarts. She would have limitless time to dedicate to her studies. She could experiment to her heart's content. However, she would have been firmly under his thumb, and she didn't want that. She didn't want to spend untold hours a day dealing with children she didn't know, just to research appropriately Light potions, serving Albus' whims. Poppy and I always told her it wouldn't be that bad, but she had this entire theory that Albus would use her as no more than a personal potions supplier." Aunt Minnie's shoulders rose and fell sadly. "And so, Albus lost her. Now, he's hoping that you wouldn't be so resistant to helping him."

"Tell the old coot he can bite me," Sev spat.

Aunt Minnie nodded solemnly. "He does not ask to use you, but I can understand your reluctance."

"Why did he mind rape me?"

"Sev…," Aunt Minnie started, her face white.

"That's what it was, and I don't want to be convinced otherwise."

"Albus used Legilimency to see if you had your other's talents for Occlumency. You do, by the way, something he is rather proud of."

Sev sneered and she continued on.

"According to Pomona, though, he wished to obtain a memory from you. He feared you would not or would be unable to tell him directly, so he seeked it out from you."

"What sort of memory?"

Aunt Minnie sighed, looking older than Sev thought she was. "When Eileen disappeared into the muggle world, she took all of her research with her. Every single note. She withdrew all of her recipes and patents, and left. She was in the middle of researching a potion that would put a werewolf to sleep during the fullmoon."

Sev cocked his head to the side.

"The potion was going to completely stop the werewolf transformation. For three days, the werewolf would be comatose. He'd be completely safe, assuming he took his potions at the correct times."

Sev nodded slowly. He could see why it was important, but he'd never heard of anything like it.

"We all told him he was barmy for thinking you would have or know of it, but he insisted he had to check."

"He is barmy, but nevermind that. Where is he, and why hasn't he approached us again?"

Aunt Minnie graced him with a small grin. "He's been expressly forbidden contact with you for the rest of this summer, though I wouldn't put it past him to be outside that door right now."

Sev grimaced and stepped away from the outer door.

"Now, any other questions?"

Sev pulled his necklace out from under his shirt, where it always hung. At it's current length, the ring generally sat beneath his sternum.

"Why am I not supposed to let anyone put it on? And why shouldn't I show it to anyone?"

"Well, from what I understand, if you were to give it to someone else to put it on, you would be declaring intent for heirship."

Sev grimaced again. "Duly noted. No one wearing my ring."

"Well," Aunt Minnie started slowly. "You need to wear it, at least just once, if I recall. It'll tie you into your family's magical well."

Sev's only answer was to stare at his ring, so Aunt Minnie continued on.

"Magical wells occur naturally, at the same time a magical family is declared. They lay on ley lines, through ancient magic we no longer understand. The goblins, however, still have the rituals."

Sev gave her a single nod.

"Ley lines, should you not know, are lines of pure magic, running between places of great import, all the world over. Wells allow families to tap into this magic, bypassing wands and human magic. Magic from a ley line is wild and primitive, based on will and intent alone."

Sev nodded again. "I'd assume that's a good thing to have, yeah?"

Aunt Minnie just chuckled at him, and a small silence settled in before she continued on.

"Now, as for why you wouldn't want to show them to anyone. If you wear them where people can see them, they'll know you're a young Lord. By all of our rules, you may as well be an adult. Once you take a Lordship, you can vote and use magic outside the school as you wish. You have access to all of your funds, unless it says that you must reach your majority first. It makes you a half adult of sorts. And if people see that, they will begin trying to sway you, to win your votes in the Wizengamot. They may also begin using you to make power plays. They may make allegiances, or try starting betrothal contracts."

Sev's face twisted up. "Alright, ring stays under shirt."

Aunt Minnie smiled just a bit.

"Why are we all so articulate? Me and the other kids, I mean. Muggle kids our age still stumble on words and others come out funny, but we mostly talk just like you." He asked after another moment of silence. "And Lily. She had this weird jump in articulation and vocabulary rather recently."

"I can't really answer that one, Severus. I simply don't know. Poppy might know, but you'll have to research it if she doesn't."

Sev contemplated that before nodding. "Alright. Last question. What's it mean to be Touched?"

If Aunt Minnie had had food or drink, Sev was sure she would have choked on it right then. As it was, she just spluttered for a minute or two.

"Touched means to have some sort of divinatory powers, whether it's Seeing, Prophesying, Aura Reading, or Realm Sleep, if I do recall."

Sev cocked his head just so, and Aunt Minnie continued on.

"Seers, well, see things. They see snippets of someone's past or future, though they are rather exclusionary. If you see one, you won't start seeing the other. Propheciers are much like oracles. They divine the future in the form of poems and sonnets, and on a much greater scale than Seers. Prophecies tend to affect large sects of humanity, as opposed to one person's future. Aura Reading is as the name implies. Readers can see the auras of those around them. The more powerful can even see magic itself and ley lines. Finally, Realm Sleep. Sleepers can walk the realms of humanity in their sleep. Usually, it's just the realm of the dead, though a few have reported realms from various mythos."

Sev nodded along slowly, automatically categorizing himself as a Seer. He had already tuned out Aunt Minnie, walking back towards the guest suite.

_Alright, Sev. You've got, what? Three years until you start? That's three years to stop seeing things people don't want you to see._

**~x~x~**

The rest of the week passed in an uneventful blur for Sev.

Remus and Sirius had taken to alternating sleeping on Sev's bed, and he couldn't really say he minded. James and Frank still slept in much the same way, leaving the other three to figure something out.

The sleeping situation had been Sev's idea. He knew that sleeping with someone there gave him less nightmares, so he figured it would be the same for the other two, and it was. The only problem was that the three of them didn't all fit on the bed without curling up together, and it was far too hot out for that. Hence the switching.

Tilly continued to get raving reviews on her cooking prowess, and Aunt Minnie stuck to a strict schedule of teaching and play time.

The routine was so comfortable that when Aunt Minnie told him that it was time for his friends to leave, he nearly cried. Well, so did everyone else, but Sev's tears were the most prominent.

After much pleading and a fit from Marlene, Aunt Minnie relented.

"You may stay," Aunt Minnie said, her exasperation thick and obvious, " _if_ your parents give you permission."

And that was how Sev and Lily's friends ended up lined up before the floo. He _almost_ didn't notice the conspicuous absence of a one Sirius Black.

**~x~x~**

James was the first to floo his parents. The fire in the hearth was rather warm that morning, but cooled rapidly with the introduction of floo powder.

"Potter Manor!" he called before sticking his face in the flame. It took a moment, but eventually someone appeared in the floo hall.

A face much like his own was soon before him, all chiseled bones and dark skin, appeared before him.

"Da!" James exclaimed. "Da! Have you got my letters?"

His dad smiled and nodded. "Yes, we have. Your mother has loved every one of them."

James gave him a playful scowl. "Yes, but you haven't written me back, so _I_ don't have permission to stay longer."

Fleamont looked like he was considering a tough dinner choice for a moment before his face split into a wide grin. "Of course, James. If Minerva is allowing you to stay longer, then who are we to keep you?"

James let out a great _whoop_ of victory, leaving his dad chuckling. He was about to pull away when his father started talking again.

"It's good to see you with friends, James," he said softly. "Now, go enjoy them before your mother starts insisting we invite them here instead."

A peal of laughter escaped James. He knew full well that his mother would do just that, given the opportunity, so he pulled away from the floo, giving Marlene a go at it.

**~x~x~**

Marlene shoved her face into the flame so enthusiastically she quite nearly fell through. She called out for a bit, and eventually her eldest brother came strolling into the floo hall.

"Richard!" she called, delight evident all over her face.

The boy in question knelt before her. He was much the opposite of Marlene. He had light brown locks and dark brown eyes and was deeply tanned. Where she was dainty, he was burly and thick. The prodigious McKinnon son. Marlene adored him.

"Yes, Marlene?"

"Richard, would you please tell Mummy and Da that I won't be home for another few weeks or so?" she asked.

She knew her brother would have answered, more than likely a yes, but she'd already pulled out of the fire.

**~x~x~**

Frank didn't bother flooing home, as his mother knew he would be with the Potters until the end of August, at which point he would go home briefly and then depart for Hogwarts. Instead, he settled for reaffirming his stay with Fleamont and Euphemia before giving Alice a go at the floo.

Alice was proper about it, kneeling and flattening her skirt ever so carefully before beginning her short call.

"I'll be staying just a bit longer."

"Yes, I can hear Mother perfectly well."

"By August the 22nd, yes."

"Of course. Bye, Father. Tell Mother I wish her well."

**~x~x~**

Remus was the next to go. He could have sworn it should have been Sirius, but the boy was missing from the line. Remus shrugged, getting down in front of the floo.

The Lupins didn't have a floo hall, so it was fairly easy to get his parents' attention.

"Mum! Da! We need to talk!" he called.

His mother came bustling in just a moment later.

"Remus! How good to see you, love. Anything you need before you come home?"

Remus shifted about a bit. "Yes, well, you see…"

And Remus explained how it was with his new friends, and how none of them knew about his problems, though he had a feeling Severus knew more than he should already, and how much he wanted to stay.

"Just until the next full moon, Mum!"

His mother gave him a hard look before sinking forward slightly.

"You know we would give you the time if we could, Rems," she whispered.

"Mum! It's only the tenth! The next moon isn't until the 28th, and I'll be home by then!"

This earned him a hard look, but she did relent.

"You'll be home by the 25th, no ifs, ands, or buts."

Remus nodded and disconnected.

**~x~x~**

Sirius had had to be fished from Sev's room, and was drug roughly to the floo.

He took his time, readying the mask of Pure Blood Ice Prince in the making. And then he was there in the floo hall, patiently waiting for someone to notice his disembodied head. Rather unfortunately, that was his younger brother.

"Regulus! Reg! Hush!" He shouted over the five year old's wailing.

Eventually Regulus was calmed and instructed, and so Sirius waited. Just another moment or so and one of his parents would be there. He had the wondrous luck of it being his mother.

"Mother, dearest," he started, a charming grin already alight. "I've missed you so."

Walburga sneered at him. "Awful little whelp. Reading my private mail before running away! Have you no shame?"

Sirius smirked. "None at all, Mother. Blacks have nothing to feel shame over, remember?"

Walburga narrowed her eyes. "You'll feel shame when you feel the sting of your father's paddle, you little monster!"

Sirius ducked away when she grabbed for him, trying to keep his eyes going wide.

"I'm at Hogwarts with Minerva McGonagall and a bunch of blood traitors and halfbloods and a muggleborn or two I love you I'll see you August the thirty-first give Father my love!" he shouted, and then he was gone.

**~x~x~**

Sev and Lily grinned at their motley band of misfits as they raced through the halls. They were playing a great big game of tag, and the last person to reach the Entrance Hall would be 'it.' So far, Marlene was holding up the rear, with James and Frank well ahead of them.

James and Frank split as they hit the hall, going down corridors and stairs until they were out of view. Remus and Alice were the next to disappear, followed shortly by Lily, then Sev and Sirius.

Sev didn't know who would be found first, but he knew it wouldn't be him. He darted up two flights of stairs, bumped into Alice rather roughly, and was on his way again, calling apologies over his shoulder.

On and on the day went, the children running about until they were all tagged, and the great race for the Entrance Hall began again. Sev was getting rather good at it, usually caught third or fourth to last.

They were on their seventh round when he realised that he was happier than he'd been in quite a while.

**~x~x~**

Sev wasn't happy to see the morning of the 25th roll around. The 25th meant that Remus was leaving, and he didn't want that. Remus was his friend, and he was happy here.

Remus smiled and laughed with them. He'd started a food fight with dessert once. He read them stories and made up a few of his own. He was positively wonderful at Hide and Seek, and he was all around great.

Sev rolled over, knowing that Remus was still on the other side of the bed. He was, and relief settled into a place Sev didn't know.

Remus's pillow was a king size, so it was quite large. Large enough, at least, for half to rest under his head, while the other half was held firmly to his chest. Sev couldn't help but smile. His golden hair fell across the top of his face, edges dusting across blond lashes. His nose was just a touch pink, making the freckles across the bridge stand out more so than usual. There was drool at the corner of his mouth, as if he'd been laying on that side until just recently.

Sev probably could have gone on and on, noting things that there were to note about a sleeping Remus Lupin, but he was interrupted by the oddest of flutterings in his stomach. He didn't know what it was doing there, but he wasn't quite keen on it. It had been there before, and it usually did things like make his face turn red when Remus and Sirius were around.

He shook his head and rolled back over, hoping for more sleep. He missed the soft smile that graced the lips of a barely awake Remus.

**~x~x~**

The day of the twenty-fifth was spent playing whatever it was Remus wanted to play. Sev had begged Aunt Minnie to cancel their lessons to free up the time.

They played wizard's chess and exploding snap, gobstones, hide and seek, and even a round of tag. Tilly had brought them sandwiches and tea on the grounds when lunch rolled around, and had served cake for dinner.

That's where they were now.

They were gathered about the living room, and the sun was just setting. Sev, Remus, and Sirius were sitting in an arm chair, legs brushing only a little. Lily was sitting next to Marlene in the other, rather deliberately keeping James out of the chair. Frank was sitting next to Alice, chatting on about going to Hogwarts in the coming month or so.

Tilly had served them a three layer, six chocolate cake five minutes prior, and they were all working their way through the hulking slices.

Remus was halfway through his, debating with his two companions the pros and cons of giving children wands. All three were for, but Sirius was left to play the devil's advocate, while Severus had to play the neutral party. They had just agreed that small children still prone to accidental magic should not be given wands when the floo flared to life.

Harsh green light replaced the soft, flickering flame that had been emanating from the hearth. Alice and Frank jumped out of the way, having been sat right in front of it.

Barely a moment later, a wizard stepped straight through. He was tall, back straight with forgotten pride. His hair was the exact same shade as Remus', making Sev pin him as the father. Brown eyes glanced across the room before settling on the trio on the chair.

Remus stiffened just a hair before slumping.

"Can't it wait until cake is done, Dad?"

His father shook his head, and Sev wanted nothing more than to hold Remus' hand, to give him some sort of strength or encouragement. He couldn't, though, so he had to watch on as Remus nodded solemnly. The small boy made his way up the Sev's room, returning shortly with his trunk. His father ushered him to the floo quickly, and Remus turned to give them a sad little wave.

"Bye, guys, I'll write you all."

The fire flashed green, and Sev knew that he wouldn't be hearing from Remus for a long while yet.

**~x~x~**

Two weeks passed, and Sev's feeling was proving true thus far.

In that two weeks, Sev had gotten good at telling serious Divination texts from phony nonsense. He was also getting used to finding any of the other three boys in his bed.

James had taken Remus' place first, complaining that Frank moved the mattress about in his sleep. Two nights later and it was Frank in his bed, complaining that James' heels were bony and were hurting his butt.

Sev, of course, knew that they were just filling up the space so that he didn't feel alone. He wouldn't tell them that he knew, but he did. It was… nice. He was becoming decidedly fond of people doing things for him, though he always had to remind himself that not everyone would do everything for him. He was responsible for his own self, too. That's what he told himself every time he saw Cinna return without a letter, at least.

He disregarded this, though, when faced with Tilly's four layer red velvet cake (his rationale being that he couldn't make a cake like that, so he couldn't be in charge of much). This one was in honor of Marlene, which was why the red velvet was blue, and why the white frosting was charmed a glittering pink. The boys ate it with much gusto, pink sparkles be damned.

Marlene just laughed and joked and smiled, occasionally smearing frosting on a cheek or two.

"Sev!" she called across the room. They were all settling in, quite full of cake at this point.

It was all Sev could do to turn his head, looking blearily at Marley. "Yeah?"

"Sev, what do you call a nun in a wheelchair?" she asked. Giggles overtook her not a moment later.

Sev, on the other hand, was back to staring at his feet. What _did_ one call a nun in a wheelchair?

He'd been contemplating the answer for nearly five minutes when Marlene blurted out the answer.

"A holy roller, Sev! She's a holy roller!" With that, Marley was overcome with yet another fit of giggles, and Sev shook his head. A lack of sleep and the intense amount of sugar had left all of the children something akin to drunk, with a conspicuously missing Aunt Minnie. Though, if the snores from up the stairs were to be believed, she was dead asleep.

Finally the joke landed its mark, though, and Severus burst into great guffaws.

That was what Emmett McKinnon walked in on - his daughter and friend laughing with delirium, while three others slept on chairs, and the other two played exploding snap, jumping when the cards exploded.

Sev didn't think he would have noticed Mr. McKinnon walking in if it weren't for Marley's shriek of "Daddy!"

He cleared away the last of his laughs and looked over at the man. He wasn't as tall as Remus' father had been, but he was more solidly built. He didn't look anything like Marlene, but he couldn't really question genetics after seeing his own family. Besides, Marlene seemed to believe him her father. She was clinging to him as he picked her up, levitating her chest behind them. Her head rest on his shoulders, and she barely managed a wave before disappearing through the floo.

"'S lovely seeing you all… G'night…"

And Marlene was gone.

**~x~x~**

Alice was the next to leave.

She was picked up by a stiff and somber looking woman after afternoon tea.

It was a quiet event, with Tilly serving matcha tea and taro macarons. They'd eaten and joked quietly, and Frank had stared in typical Frank fashion when Alice departed. When asked about it, he'd simply blushed and mumbled incoherently until left alone again.

**~x~x~**

Another week passed, full of exploding snap and rough housing, with James and Sirius occasionally refereeing their color wars - color wars being small fights in which the children flung spells at each other, leaving great magical stains. The aim was to color as much of your opponents as possible while taking minimal damage to yourself and the surrounding furniture. Sev was quite good at both parts, while Frank was good at the coloring and Lily excelled at dodging. As such, matches usually ended in a tie.

Sev was doing quite well after two months under Aunt Minnie. He was cheerful and coming out of his shell. He hadn't had much practice with his occlumency or potions, but he and Lily were well on their way to second level charms. Frank was more of an herbologist, so he didn't mind all too much when Lily and Sev flew right by him. Sev would know, really.

He'd had a fit of anxiety two days after Alice had left and had confronted him, spending almost half an hour making sure that Frank didn't mind in the slightest if Lily and Sev excelled where he did not. And, with that out of the way, Sev blossomed in that last week.

Sev started conversations now, rather than be dragged into them. He asserted his opinions and would argue them, though he still tended to shut down if his opponent started to yell at him. He did all of his work to the best of his abilities and took criticisms well. Out of the whole bunch, he was most likely to redo his work until it was perfect.

On the other hand, he was still quite dependant on Sirius and Lily, keeping their company at all times. He adamantly refused to be isolated or alone.

Leaps and bounds were leaps and bounds, though, and it warmed Minerva and Pomona's hearts to see the son of their childhood friend blossoming like this. Sev would have made Eileen proud, they knew. He was sharp as a tack, always asking questions until he was positive he fully understood the information. He was kind and forgiving, but more than capable of standing his own ground. He was a good kid, he really was.

Watching on as her charges stepped through the floo, Minerva couldn't help but think that Eileen would have been proud of her son. They all should be proud of their children, really. They would be good people, she knew, and they would do great things.


	11. And So We Danced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small time skip and a lovely Gala, during which Sev has his poor little mind blown away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry if I messed up on the britpicking, I really am.  
> Thank you all so much for sticking with this story through my rather erratic updates, it means the world to me.

**_31 December 1988_ **

Sev, wrapped lovingly in his father's left arm, could not believe how far he'd come in life. Lily was sitting next to him on their dad's lap, wrapped up with just as much love. They had matched cups of cocoa, matched scarves, and matched winter cloaks. Their breath came out in squeals of delight at the colorful explosions above them, setting light to the world above them. Sev squished himself farther into his dad's embrace, happily using the noise of the night to reflect on his year since their return from Hogwarts.

The first thing that had happened was a late birthday party for Petunia, whose birthday had been on the eleventh of August. All of her friends had been invited, as had the family Sev had yet to meet, and even Alice and Frank had been sent invitations. Not a one had been turned down, much to Petunia's pleasure. The backyard had overflown in an extravagance of ribbons and flowers and guests, and they had all loved it. Alice and Petunia had proven to be quite good friends, both promising to write once the party was over. Frank, on the other hand, had been much more interested in their father, and had spent the entire day either staring wistfully at Alice or asking Harrison about carpentry.

Sev and Lily had been shuffled around by the family, either meeting relatives with their mother or meeting various friends of Petunia's. He had learned that his maternal grandmother was an avid gardener, and just a bit eccentric, while his paternal grandmother reminded him quite a bit of an older Augusta Longbottom (he could understand why she was to blame for Lily's choice in future job). Both of his grandfathers, he was happy to learn, were rather tacit men, more than happy to let their wives take the reigns. His father had family over in Wales - a brother and three sisters - who had sent their regards along. The Ifans family hadn't wanted to venture to Britain, but it hadn't dampened Tuney's mood at all.

The Evans' were a different story. Severus had found himself in possession of six second cousins, four third cousins, and one fourth, alongside his newfound four aunts and five uncles. That his mother had been one of six had absolutely astounded him. She was the youngest by far, but the rest of her family was still quite the treat. They were jovial people, kind. Severus loved them.

Eventually the party had ended and Severus had gifted Tuney with her own wizarding stationery - quite helpful for writing letters to Alice, he thought. Lily had given her an Ever-Fit Cloak set of champagne acromantula silk with a Jarvey fur lining. Tuney had absolutely adored her gifts.

The next week marked the beginning of Sev and Lily's homeschooling. In the mornings they worked on languages - Sev had chosen to learn Latin, while Lily had chosen Gaelic - and arithmetic and sciences. Later, after lunch, they worked on assignments owled in from a wizarding primary in Yorkshire. These assignments were angled more towards future Lords and Ladies, teaching them of worldwide wizarding politics and history, alongside basic magical theories and wandless exercises. It was a rather boring turn of events, one that left the two eight year olds cranky and lonely, often frustrated that they could not visit their friends.

It helped that Remus had finally begun writing to Sev and Lily again, starting off with a rather lengthy apology and a fair bit of blame placed on his parents, who were being 'unreasonable,' but not quite enough. In the end, their friend group was partially reunited. James, Marlene, and Remus came over on Tuesdays and Thursdays to do their primary work and play, now, making the days go by much better.

At the beginning of October, from the third to the seventeenth, was Petunia's ballet recital. The children had all gone on opening weekend, taking all of their friends (sans Sirius) along with them. They'd made a sleepover out of the whole ordeal, with an outing the next day before the recital began. It had been wonderful, really. They'd laughed and had fun, and Sev got to look upon his older sister with pride as their friends all watched on in amazement. 

Not soon after the recitals were finished, Sirius and his younger brother joined them for lessons.

Sirius' brother was Regulus. He was three years younger, but he still looked nearly identical. He was, however, much more proper, and a little uptight. When asked about it, Sirius had told them that their parents had taken to molding him into the perfect pureblood once they realised that Sirius was a lost cause. Sev's mum was quick to rid him of those manners when he was away from his family, letting him keep the mask in front of his parents. By the time Halloween rolled around, Regulus was changed. He didn't scowl at muggles in passing, and only resisted a little when the other children wanted to run and play.

They'd all trick-or-treated on Halloween. Alice and Frank had joined with special permission, and the group of them had taken to Diagon Alley first. Trick-or-treating worked much differently in the wizarding world. The children dressed in extravagantly colored robes and donned masquerade masks. At the door, they performed small feats of wish magic; Better feats resulted in better treats, and those who did not perform a feat were given tricks, or joke items. It was a fun affair, really, and the surprises from the "tricks" kept them from wearing out their magic too much. They'd left to the muggle world with pails overflowing with enough sweets to last until the spring (if their mums had anything to do with it, that is), and tricks galore.

Muggle trick-or-treating was much more interesting. Sev and Lily's parents had escorted the horde and their last minute costumes all over Cokeworth. Sev and Lily were pirates with treasure chest pails. Marlene was Dorothy, with Frank as the Lion, Sirius as the Tin Man, and Remus as the Scarecrow, leaving Alice and Petunia to be fairies. The group, Sev had had to admit, was a rather adorable one, and his parents were already talking about them being a coordinated Cinderella group next year.

The children had fun running amuck (in view of the adults) and collecting as much candy as they possibly could. The bounty was more than enough to rot out their teeth in a week and give them a sugar high that lasted until well into the summer. Though, knowing the adults that he did, Sev was sure the candy would be sticking around much longer than that. It was his favorite Halloween to date, and he was sure it would always remain so.

The next months were full of late birthday presents to Aunt Minnie, Marley, Frank, Sirius (whose present was _almost_ on time), and Regulus (whose present _was_ on time).

Lily and Sev officialised their claims to their family lines after a meeting with Urqutt at the beginning of December. The identities of the future Lady Slytherin and Lord Evans wouldn't be revealed until they found a suitable public event, but they elected a solicitor by the name of Veritas Wimblebury to vote for their seats in the Wizengamot until they reached their majority. They could now legally use magic whenever they wished and also found that Lily had three more vaults that she would not be able to access until her majority; There was one accessible only to Ladies of Slytherin, Salazar's personal vault, and one from an unnamed family who had paid a handsome sum to keep it anonymous. Sev had two vaults waiting for him; One had been left by Ammerius Evans, the last Evans of Slytherin blood, and the other was from the same anonymous donor. The vaults left them confused, but they didn't read into too much. Everything was going to be revealed in 8 years, after all. The real kicker was that the pair of almost-nine-year-olds owned a total of 14 plots of land.

Sev had, towards the end of November, told Urqutt about their plans to take on their Lordly duties prior to their majority - an interesting thing, considering Urqutt had believed that they wouldn't make their claims until they were older - and sent the goblins on a hunt for a sizable piece of land. Not two days later, and Sev owned a 30 acre stretch of land in Wales, though the size was a fib. To muggles, it was only about 3 acres, but the goblins had taken straight to it, warding and enchanting it as best as they could. The plot was unplottable and hidden and magically expanded, giving Sev more space and protection than he knew what to do with. As of the day prior to their visit, building for a large, luxury home based partially on muggle architecture had begun. It included 7 bedrooms and 6 full bathrooms across 2 floors with an additional two level basement. Ridiculousness, he thought, but he wasn't about to question a goblin funded manor.

In addition to that, though, Sev owned a small ("Four bedrooms is _not_ small!) vacation home in Athens and two rental homes - one in the Highlands that owed on the rent, and another in Paris that was currently unoccupied.

Lily, on the other hand, owned a total of ten living areas. The Lost Slytherin Manor wasn't very lost anymore, as it was located deep in the heart of Ireland. It also wasn't much of a manor, as the hundred acre plot housed a dilapidated stronghold. Included in Salazar's Vail was a seven story main castle, a three story keep, crumbling walls, and a long abandoned town that had once been home to a prosperous village. She also owned Audric Slytherin's home in Lancaster, a vineyard in Tuscany, a vacation home in Sicily, a wildlife reserve in Sweden, an abandoned village in Spain, and a series of four apartments being rented out in London.

Total revenue? Once collections were started, Sev would be gaining an additional 4,000 galleons a month. Lily, after the reserve, vineyard, and villages were restored, would be bringing in 128,000 galleons a month. After looking over the numbers, she had signed over the Spanish village and the vineyard to Sev, evening them out to 60,000 a month for Sev and 68,000 a month for herself.

Rose and Harrison had almost fainted when Sev signed the vacation home in Athens over to them, telling them that he'd never have a need for it. Petunia actually did faint when Lily gave her the home in Lancaster and an allowance of roughly 400 pounds a month.

It had been a fantastic visit, though. The goblins had been given restoration orders, collections and fees were sent out, loans were given short notices, and Veritas had been given very definite voting guidelines. Afterward, Lily and Sev had been able to sneak away to buy Christmas presents.

Just a few days later, and Sev got to see the best faces he'd seen his family ever have.

For his father, Sev had the goblins enchant a full carpentry set. It was unbreakable and lent him extra precision and strength. The artistry wrought with it would be unimaginable. Lily had bought him a cloak set of acromantula silk and Jarvey fur that matched Tuney's, though this one was enchanted and charmed to withstand anything short of a bullet.

For his mother, Sev had had the house slightly renovated. The entire thing had been expanded, turning every bedroom into an ensuite and enlarging the preexisting rooms. The kitchen, his main goal, had been updated into something akin to a fine chef's kitchen, with top of the line everything. She'd almost cried when he'd removed the charms hiding it all. From Lily, she had had the garden expanded, leading to a full lawn and large gazebo, plus pond. That one had brought her to tears.

Sev had gifted Petunia a special room at the back of the house. Inside was a full sized dance room, complete with bamboo flooring, a wall of mirrors, bars, and sound system. Lily had bought her a full set of leotards and tights in acromantula silk, along with at least ten blouses and even more dresses, plus a set of wizarding robes.

He was given a more posh wardrobe update, courtesy of Lily and Petunia. He was now the proper rich boy in both worlds, something that amused him to no end. His parents had brought him an entirely new set of furniture, consisting of a queen bed, a large chest of drawers, a wardrobe, two night stands, a desk, and a chair. They promised to buy him a couch, rocking chair, and coffee table, now that his room could fit it, something he insisted he could buy for himself. His parents wouldn't have it, though, and he resigned himself to waiting for the new furniture to be ordered.

Lily had suffered much the same fate from their parents, though her update came with a change in wall color. The wall was a light beige, now, with metallic crimson filigree decorating every edge. Her furniture already included a couch, though, and her bed was lofted with a built in desk. Petunia had single handedly reworked Lily's wardrobe, using money from both Sev and their parents.

Christmas dinner had left them all happy and warm and laughing, snuggled together in the family room by the fire. This highly enjoyed time had only lasted an hour or so, before the fire flared green and a rather familiar witch had poked her head through, telling them that she had collected their presents from their friends, and did they have any to send out?

Alice had sent Honeyduke's boxes and ten galleons for everyone. Frank had sent Harry a book on wizarding architecture and one to Rose on Herbology. The children, on the other hand, had all been regaled with the best of Zonko's products. Marlene had sent them all homemade fudge, and James had simply sent Rose, Harry, and Petunia cloak sets. Sev and Lily, however, got invitations to the Potter Family New Year's Gala on the first and were all but demanded to attend.

Sev's favorite gifts by far were from Sirius and Remus. Remus had sent him a two-way journal, which would let them write back and forth to each other in the same book. It was a handsome thing, really. The cover was a deep brown leather, gilded with bronze and embedded with the darkest sapphires he'd ever seen. According to the first and only entry, Remus had begged the money off of Sirius, who had all but thrown it at him. Sirius had bought him the same gift, though this one was white, gilded with gold, and set with rubies and garnets. The journals connected to him were reportedly done in black, silver, and diamonds.

It was, in short, the best four months he'd had to date, and the memory of it left him smiling as he drifted off in his father's arms.

**~x~x~**

It didn't take Severus very long to decide that he didn't like dress robes.

He'd started off his day vaguely disoriented from the oddest of dreams just to find his mum shaking his arm so he'd wake up. At six in the morning.

Then had come the coordination of his and Lily's outfits (without breakfast!), which had taken far longer than necessary. In the end, they had chosen fine, modern robes of a deep, deep purple for Sev. Lily's dress was rather complementary. It was a many layered thing of chiffon, lace, taffeta, and some brocade. The layers were all creams and tans and whites, under a final layer of white eyelet lace. It was finished off with a sash to match Severus' robes, and then the children were hurried off to actually put the things on.

He didn't think he'd ever admit how long he sat there in his dressing corner, just staring at the pile of things he had to wear, or that he only had the vaguest of ideas of how to get it all on and in place. Eventually, though, the pile of clothes became less terrifying and more just offensive, and he had a plan.

He got the socks and pants on, though he wasn't quite sure why the boxers had to be _silk_ of all things. After that came the corset. It had more ties and buttons than he cared to count, but also had a paper with the charm he'd need to do it all up. The offending garment was eventually situated, and the charm made him give a rather undignified squeal. It pulled everything together, forcing his waist in just a touch and straightening out his back. Bending wasn't quite so easy anymore, something that made Sev scowl, but he got it eventually. He had a crisp, white undershirt to put on, followed by a silk button up in a soft creamy white. From there came the almost black dress trousers. They didn't have a zip, which was odd for Sev, but it did have a short series of buttons on his left side. The trousers were nicely fitted and snug, not showing where the rest of his clothes tucked into them. Next came a long, white cravat - very carefully done, with a large amount of wariness - and a white vest. The final bit was somewhere between a proper robe and a tuxedo jacket. The front was that of a tuxedo jacket. It went to the top of his trousers, with the proper bits and bobs, but lengthened towards the back, so that it fell to the back of his knees. The sleeves were loose, in the fashion of robes, and the lapels of the front extended back into a formal hood of sorts. Sev mostly ignored that bit, and nearly forgot his finishing touches.

They had talked to Urqutt and Veritas immediately after Christmas about the possibility of using the Gala - a rather large one, they were told, that involved a large majority of the Wizarding World's middle and upper ranks - as their chosen event to come out at. Veritas had believed it a good idea, as it would let them spread their own political wings and mingle about, without any fear of attack. Urqutt had agreed based on pure shock factor, as the people indebted to them would be in an outrage, and it would give the goblins a chance to remind the wizards of Gringotts' various rules.

This was where Sev had gotten the bronze pin for his cravat, and the cufflinks bearing the Evans family crest. There was the bronze cloak fastening, decorative bits for his boots, and a few other goodies (namely, a tie clip, a pin for a bow tie, a small set of bronze buttons, a pair of bronze ear studs, a bronze ear cuff with elaborate chains and small purple dragon scales, and a clip for his hair). His ring was set on his finger this time, right above the simpler silver ring that marked him as a scion of the Slytherin family. Lily had one much like it, though it reflected her place as a scion to the Evans'.

Sev took a bracing breath before turning to his mirror. The sight there shocked him. He looked… different. Taller. Prouder. More confident. He looked pale, rather than sallow, and the sharp points seemed to fit his face. His nose was starting to pronounce itself as a long, proud thing. His lips weren't as thin as he remembered, and he could have sworn that his eyes were black, not the deep brown they appeared to be right then.

He had to shake off the strangeness of his look then. He still had to lengthen his hair and plait it with the clip. He tapped his wand gently to his temple, muttering the incantation.

" _Extendit Pilos._ "

He watched the mirror carefully, removing his wand and giving it a sharp wave when his hair brushed the top of his tailbone. Sev knew the next incantation, but he had to stop for a moment. His hair was long and lush. The thick, raven tresses waved generously, with a sparing few curls at the ends, giving his face a much more feminine look. He tucked the knowledge away in case he ever felt like really messing with anyone.

There was a sharp twirl of his wand, and another muttered spell (" _Plectere Capillos Francorum_ "). The locks found themselves rearranged, weaving in and out of itself. There were tugs at his scalp at the start, but eventually there was a french braid on his head, reaching down past the middle of his back. He carefully selected two small locks of hair, spelling them to hang at the sides of his face. Lastly came them clip at the end, and Sev breathed a sigh of relief. He was done, finally.

He left the corner, heading out of his room, and he'd made it halfway down the stairs before he remembered his shoes.

**~x~x~**

Lily was not happy. She might like dressing up on occasion, but this? This was far too much.

They'd started her off with silk pants. Silk! Then she'd been given itchy stockings and ruffled bloomers, and clips to keep her stockings in place. She'd been wrangled into something her Mum had called a bralette, which also itched, and then they'd thrown a corset over it. The damn, blasted thing had been too tight at first and made it hard to breathe. Eventually it was sorted, and they were back to putting clothes on her. There was a shift, and an under dress, followed by a petticoat. Then they had the top of her dress, which was nice and silky against her skin. Then there was the skirt, which was just as itchy as the stockings, with the top of it hidden by the purple sash. She had a silvery-white pin for her sash, her ring, and a necklace with matched earrings. Then she had to remember her shoes and their pieces, her scion's ring, and a tiara. As a child, she didn't have to plait her hair for formal events yet (though Sev did, for some reason), leaving her free to grow it to the appropriate length and then leave it be, save for the tiara.

Finally, she was wrapped up in a rich, brown cloak and left to admire herself.

To say she was amazed would have been an understatement. The light colors only served to enhance her own ivory complexion and draw out her light smattering of freckles. Her hair caught the light like fire, showing off that not quite ginger red that she loved so much, and her green eyes shone. She twirled, laughing at the swirls of layers that raised just above her ankles as she spun.

She practically skipped down the stairs.

**~x~x~**

Coming down the stairs had been two wholly separate experiences for Sev and Lily.

He'd come down at a reasonable 10:30, leaving plenty of time to floo to Hogwarts and catch lunch after being gushed over by his parents and Aunt Minnie. His mum had snapped an ungodly amount of photos before sitting him down to wait.

There, he had chatted idly with his family about what he was learning, where he was with his spellwork, and what he was looking at studying next. Aunt Minnie was in the middle of reminding him about all the manners Tilly had drilled into him when Lily descended the stairs.

The household sat in hushed silence. Lily was fairly glowing in her dress, with a faint blush dusted across her cheeks. She was entrancing, really, and Sev was nothing short of astounded. There was something missing, though… He was wondering on it when he glanced over her hair, and then Sev knew what it is.

"Lily-love, can I do your hair?" he asked, using the nickname most likely to get her to agree.

She frowned slightly, but Sev wasn't deterred. "It'll be lovely, I promise."

She relented after a few more minutes, and Sev started casting a complicated set of spells.

" _Extendit Pilos Ad Pedes_ " (Lit: she stretched out her hair to her feet)

" _Semisos Plectere Capillos Coronam_ " (Lit: half hair braid in crown)

" _Involventque Semisos Crinis_ " (Lit: half hair wrap)

" _Mollis Capillos Caesaries_ " (Lit: soft hair curls)

" _Solve Comas Nisi Coronam_ " (Lit: loose hair but the crown)

" _Crebrescunt Eos_ " (Lit: freshen them)

The effects were exactly what Sev wanted. Lily's hair grew to floor length first, before half of it was wrapped up in an elaborate crown braid. The other half of her hair was then wrapped up and softly curled. After, her hair was release to cascade down her back, and she was left smelling faintly of golden-rayed lilies and cinnamon.

Aunt Minnie transfigured a mirror while Sev enjoyed his good work. _Now_ Lily looked like his regal counterpart. He congratulated himself when Lily started bouncing around, beaming like the sun itself was in her smile.

More pictures were taken, and eventually the clock hit two, and the children were ushered on through to Hogwarts.

Lily was the one to clean off all of the floo dust, using one of her own made up charms (something the two of them had taken to rather quickly). Aunt Minnie had smiled at them and said something Sev didn't quite catch about the two of them being a professor's future favorites, but that didn't matter. Some of his favorite people were in his favorite place!

Frank and Alice were dressed similarly to Sev and Lily, though Frank's robes were more traditional. He bore the Longbottom crest and a scion's ring, meaning his mother still hadn't declared him the official heir. He would have wondered why, but he didn't have time with Lily's exuberant shrieking over Alice's dress. It _was_ a pretty number. The top was a lace brocade with small bell sleeves and an empire waisted skirt that started right at the bottom of her bust. The color was something Sev could only describe as Gryffindor red, with brilliant gold lace and threaded edgings. The pair led them through to the dining room, where Tilly had already lain out platters of small sandwiches and fruits with tea. Tilly did _not_ let them forgo their napkins, and was very careful to make sure that they _stayed clean_.

The floo flared a few minutes into lunch and Aunt Minnie started talking, leaving Sev to assume that she was informing the Potters that Lily and Sev had a surprise, so James couldn't see them until after introductions.

Sev almost felt bad. He would be the only one that didn't know. Alice had given the two of them knowing looks, and Frank had simply smirked. What their other three compatriots would think was a completely different affair.

The floo flared again some ten or so minutes later, and Sev ignored it. Tilly had made grilled cheese, and he was far too invested right then. At least, he was until he felt cool, small hands slide over his eyes.

"Guess who?"

Sev had to think. It was either Remus or Marlene, he knew, because the hands weren't trembling like Sirius' did. The following small kiss to the top of his head was what gave it away, though.

"Marley! How lovely of you to join us!" he exclaimed.

There was a giggle and the hands were removed.

Sev extracted himself from his chair - gingerly, that is, very gingerly after a look from Tilly - so he could turn and great the girl. Her dress was a lovely blue thing, and quite different from that of her friends. It had a top lace layer, with a long neck that settled just under her jaw. It had no sleeves, and was sashed right on her hips, where the dress became a layer of lace over flowing blue silk that pooled about her feet. It was blue and white, in general, with pearl beading and accents, and something that looked like shimmering dragon scales on the shoulders.

"Magnificent as always, Marley," he said. He didn't comment on her lack of any house adornments, aside from what might have been a scion's ring. Instead, he settled for kissing her cheek and hugging her close.

She hugged him back and lightly smacked him for his comment on her smelling like blueberries.

Marlene was soon tucked in to a chair and served up. She, thankfully, had much better table manners than Frank, and Tilly only had to worry about spelling her napkin in place.

**~x~x~**

Remus and Sirius nearly showed up in tandem, a scant fifteen minutes before they were to leave for Potter Manor.

Remus had stumbled through the floo first, and was dusting himself off when Siri and Reggie nearly leapt through the fire, Walburga Black's screaming following. The two brothers did _not_ see Remus, and took him to the floor when they exited the floo.

There were knees and elbows and points everywhere, and Sev didn't envy any of the three, not really.

Sev and Frank helped the three boys up, letting Lily use one of her charms to clean them all off (" _a bhith glan_ "). Sev might have used that as an opportunity to see how they were dressed. Might have, you know.

Remus was dressed in a rather fashionable muggle tuxedo with a brown shirt and gold vest that only served to further confuse Sev on the color of the smaller boy's eyes. He wouldn't ponder that one, though. That was just a headache waiting to happen. Instead, he just appreciated the tailor who had helped Remus find such a lovely piece of attire.

Sirius and Regulus were dressed perfectly, as was expected. Sirius' robes were impeccably sized and colored. The bottom layer was a deep charcoal grey with faint silver threading, and was topped with a layer of shimmering silver-blue. His cravat was that same charcoal color and boasted the Black family crest. Looking at his hand, Sev found the Heirship ring he was positive he'd have. Regulus' robes where the exact same cut and style as Sirius', with the colors set in the opposite manner. They were a stunning pair, playing the role of Ice Prince equally well.

Aunt Minnie took a moment to remind them all of what would happen when they arrived, and what all was expected of them. Sev had heard it all before this morning, and so elected to tune her out.

Eventually, they were flooing through.

**~x~x~**

Being sorted by family rank wasn't something Sev particularly wanted, mostly because it put him and Lily far behind everyone except Sirius and Regulus, who still weren't close enough to talk to. Even Lily wasn't close enough; She was to be one of the last people introduced that night.

The introductions couldn't go on any slower for Sev.

The Potter matriarch had sorted everyone by social standing, introducing the children first, and then their parents. Everyone was introduced with a short lineage and list of achievements, if at all applicable.

Surprisingly enough, Alice was the first of their group to be introduced. Her mother was a muggleborn who ran a small apothecary, and her father had been spending the last ten years trying to fix the reputation his father had ruined. Their standing wasn't low, per se, but it wasn't exactly high.

Remus had come next, after about ten more families. His mother might have been a muggle, but his father was the head of a rather large Ministry department, giving them some small sway with the hoity toity types that were rampant at events like this. His father was just a tight lipped and angry looking as Sev remembered, and he thought the man looked like hardship had gone and carved his face herself.

Marlene was introduced with her brothers - Richard, Marcus, Everett, Warren, Anthony, and Daniel (all older) - and her younger sister, Nichole. They had been followed by Emmett and Katherine McKinnon. Emmett was a premier duelist, third in the European Dueling Association, with a world renowned chef for a wife. A traditionally light family, and reasonably old, their fair play in life and politics made them a favourite of the light and neutral factions.

Frank was introduced shortly after, and was the first to be introduced by himself. Augusta had declined her invitation to the Gala, only allowing Frank to go for the sake of saving face. This was her fifth year straight refusing to join in the largest Light event of the year.

There was a long wait after that, as a few Neutral and Dark-leaning families were introduced. There were the Goyles and Crabbes and Malfoys, the Ogdens, Greengrass', and Parkinsons. The Bones family was introduced, right after the Abbots.

Eventually, Severus fazed out of the entire ordeal, only snapping back into reality when he realized that he was at the door.

"We would like to return the lost family of Evans, descendants of Slytherin himself. The Evans' were once a powerful family, filled with strong links to divinatory powers, astronomy, and potions work. The line has been returned to us, so many generations after the death of Ammerius Evans. I am pleased to introduce Severus Tobias Evans, the new Lord Evans. Lord Evans is currently one of the youngest wizards to take up a lordship. He is fluent in English and Latin, with a rough understanding of Scottish Gaelic. His political leanings are reportedly neutral-light, and he is a potential Charms Master of some caliber. Please, meet Severus Tobias Evans, Lord of Evans and scion of Slytherin."

Euphemia gave him a short nod at the end, extending her arm to wave him to the top of the stairs. He stood for a moment, looking out on the crowd of people gathered below him. There was a moment of silence, and Severus held his head high. He _was_ Lord Evans, and he would play his part.

A mask settled over his features, schooling them into smooth confidence. His right arm crossed over his midsection, showing off the Lordship ring and scion's ring.

He walked. Everyone could see that he was, undeniably, a powerful, young wizard. There was no doubting him then.

They started to applaud him, politely, about halfway down. His pace stayed steady and sedate as another family was introduced behind him. Two more families and it would be Lily's turn, and then they'd be done.

He was waved over to his group of friends by James, who looked like he was about to jump out of his bloody pants.

"Aunt Minnie floos us during lunch, scares the daylights out of Mum, and tells us that _I_ am not _allowed_ to see you because of some bloody surprise and what happens? One of my best mates is a _Lord!_ Not an heir, mind you, he's a bleeding Lord to a family that had more power than _mine_ before they died out! And we haven't even _seen_ Lily yet - what is that about anyways? She's - no. Oh, god."

Sev, who hadn't been entirely sure what on Earth James was saying, knew there was some sort of important reason he'd stopped talking.

 _Only that important if you're as infatuated as that bloody loon is,_ Sev told himself. Lily had just been waved to the stairs, and, well, Sev wasn't sure he'd known that was her if he hadn't seen her beforehand. She was the picture of regality and elegance. She was calm, collected, and poised. Perfect nobility.

Her green eyes were darting across the room, taking in the stunned stares around her. She gave them all a brief nod and the most graceful curtsey he'd ever seen before slowly descending the stairs. Slytherin's ring was well on display, with Lily's hands clasped in front of her. Her eyes were dancing with the smile she hid.

Eventually she was done with the stairs and standing with them. A quiet murmur ran through the crowd, discussing the newcomer to the ranks. Sev knew that their group would be the target of many conversations and political maneuvers.

He tucked that thought away when Euphemia and Fleamont Potter called for everyone's attention.

"The Potter New Year's Gala…," Fleamont started.

"...Is officially begun," Euphemia finished, smiling softly at them all.

Below them, a grand set of doors swung open, revealing the most elaborate ballroom Sev thought he would ever see.

**~x~x~**

This was the first time Sev was glad that the Wizarding World's priorities were so backwards. Skin color didn't matter, orientations didn't matter, religion didn't matter. It was all about blood and names. This meant it was perfectly acceptable for Sev to spend his time twirling about with Marlene, Sirius, and Remus. The four of them switched partners every dance, waltzing about in their own little happy square.

He might have blushed when Remus grabbed his hand, that first dance, and guided it to his hip. He wasn't sure why, really. But the music was playing and they were dancing with Sev leading and Remus was so _close_ and he wasn't sure if he was even breathing right then.

When the dance ended, Sev all but flung himself at Marlene, blushing furiously. She had gently cajoled him, claiming he had a baby crush and her precious Remy.

He only scowled a little.

Well.

Maybe a lot.

Dancing with Sirius was the easiest, by far, because he would lead, and Sev just had to follow absentmindedly, letting himself be twirled about. Marlene would joke with him about his supposed crush, but was otherwise fun.

Remus, though.

 _Gods help me,_ Sev prayed silently. This was his sixth dance with Remus - he'd counted. His feet were aching, and had been since his second go about with the small boy, but he couldn't help it. Remus' eyes crinkled up at the corners and he smiled and his nose had the bloody audacity to _scrunch_ itself while he laughed, insisting on being repeatedly spun about and dipped. Sev did it.

He wasn't sure why. It might have been that baby crush that Marlene was joking about, but he wasn't sure. He just knew that Remus smiling lit up his world, and he just wanted the boy to keep laughing. He knew that his eyes were somewhere between honey and gold and amber and copper, and they danced like fire when he was happy, and he had the smallest of gaps between his front teeth.

**~x~x~**

The dance whirled to an end, eventually, near midnight. The children were all finally yawning, and Sev was dead on his feet. He'd been danced about until his feet were going to fall off, and then he'd been talked to by the most incredibly boring adults Sev thought he had ever met in his life. But it was done! Blessed Gods, it was done, and the floo was right there and they could go _home._

Sev, Lily, Sirius, Reggie, and Frank were all flooing to Hogwarts, from where they'd go home. As children, they just didn't have the patience to wait for the correct gate to pop up from a place that they weren't familiar with. The other kids were going home via side along apparation, the lucky bastards.

Sev was the last to go through the floo, damn near asleep while he was at it. He didn't really register the hand on his shoulder until it turned him away from the floo, and he definitely didn't quite process the quick kiss pressed to his cheek. He _did_ process that it was _Remus_ running away from him.

He didn't really pay attention to going home, just going through the motions of home and undressing and nightly rituals and bed, all the while trying to process that moment.

_Remus kissed my cheek…_

Sev went to bed with a smile that night.


	12. 'It's Killed Me!'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius and his family have a... minor... disagreement after the Gala.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not pleasant by any means! If descriptions of torture in any way, shape, or form bother you, please wait until the next chapter is out! It will feature a brief summary, making this chapter not entirely important.

Sirius yawned into his elbow, nearly having to bend over from the force of it. Frank was flooing home first, after which he and Regulus would be going home and hopefully to bed.  _ Hopefully  _ his mother had  _ not  _ heard the news yet, and so would let them rest until morning, at which point he would conveniently forget that he was friends with the new Lady Slytherin.

Hopefully.

The floo flared to life before them, signaling Frank’s departure. Regulus had a light grip on his hand, and the poor child looked as tired as Sirius felt.

He nudged the both of them forward, mumbling a quick “thanks” to Minerva as he grabbed a handful of floo powder. He made sure to finish off another yawn before tossing down the powder.

“Black Manor, The Hidden Place, Ben Nevis, Scotland!” he quite nearly shouted, making sure to be clear while  _ not _ getting ash in his mouth. That had happened many a time before, and it was not an experience he particularly enjoyed.

The flash of green swirled about them, not quite so bright as the killing curse supposedly was, but bright enough to make him squint. Ash kicked up in the flames, making Regulus cough next to him. Sirius had his arm up again, and motioned for Regulus to do the same. The younger boy did so, just in time for the flames to push closer against them, forcing them through the magical space that was the Floo Network. 

Fireplaces of every imaginable shape and size flashed by, green wisps floating out of them, inviting their recipients in. If Sirius had cared to look, he would see wizards stepping into and out of these fireplaces, coming and going for only brief moments. 

Eventually, though, there was a small tug on his magic that he’d come to recognize as his impending arrival. Sure enough, there it was; A black monolith was rushing up towards them, a single block of carved obsidian that stood heads and shoulders above even Minerva. Sirius tugged lightly on Regulus’ hand, making sure the younger boy knew to get ready - Regulus hadn’t yet mastered walking out of the floo, and stumbling wasn’t something he wanted his brother to do with the possibility of their mother awaiting them. He had no idea what the crazy bat would decide to do.

Sirius strode out with ease, stepping from solid nothing to that shining obsidian he knew so well. Regulus stumbled slightly next to him, but it was enough.

“Stupid child, can’t you even come through the floo right?”

Sirius moved to put Regulus behind him, but it was a move his mother knew well.

“Protecting the stupid thing, Sirius? I think not.  _ Immobulus! _ ”

He froze, but thanked the gods he wasn’t petrified. It let him do something smart.

He and Regulus were still in the fireplace, with the small enchanted fire still burning about their feet. He shook his hand, praying to every god he could that there was enough powder stuck to it and them to activate the floo.

“Bartemius Crouch’s Office, Aurory, Ministry of Magic, London, England!” he practically screamed. That blessed green fire sprung to life around them, but it wasn’t enough. The fire sputtered out again after a moment, illuminating the cruel grin on Walburga Black’s face.

“Come now, Sirius. Regulus. Time for Mother to punish you, and then you can tell me all about the Gala.”

**~x~x~**

Tears were welling in Sirius’ eyes. His entire back half  _ burned _ , and the pain of sitting was unbearable. He had to sit, though, as stoically as he could. Regulus was sniffling in the stiff chair next to his, but he wasn’t in any physical pain. Sirius had bartered with their mother on that, taking both of their punishments times four while Regulus only had to watch.

“Look what you do to your brother, Regulus!” she’d cackled, forcing the younger boy to watch as Sirius was whipped to flaying, stitched up, crucio’d, and whipped again. It had gone on and on until Regulus was screaming and crying and begging for them to stop.

Walburga hadn’t stopped until Sirius had almost passed out on her, his screaming finally dying off.

“Let that serve as a lesson to you both. Sirius, you know better than to be trying those tricks of yours with me. Next time you try to ruin the family, your father will handle your punishment.” She turned to the boy who was shaking and rocking next to her. “Up you go, Regulus.” She wrenched him up to standing by the arm. “Young Lords do not grovel and snot themselves, nor do they  _ continue _ to stumble about in fireplaces like commoners. You will carry yourself with the grace demanded of a scion of the house of Black, do you hear me?”

Regulus nodded feebly.

“Good. Now, my sources tell me that two old families have been returned to us. You two  _ will _ join me in your father’s study, and we  _ will _ discuss this, yes?”

Sirius and Regulus had nodded, and they’d been led off. They hadn’t even been allowed to let Kreacher clean them off before being sat across from their father in his study.

The study was a dark, foreboding place. The walls were a deep green, and everything was hand-carved black walnut. There were single candle sconces placed sparingly throughout, just barely illuminating tomes that Sirius knew would have his parents Kissed in an instant. One such tome was open nearly three-quarters of the way in, and Orion’s finger tapped at an entry softly.

“Sirius, tell me of the families introduced at the Gala,” he commanded simply.

Sirius gulped. “Yes, Father. The Potters introduced families according to their societal rankings in the eyes of the combined neutral and light parties, as per usual. The Downing family is rising, but slowly. The patriarch is hard at work, repairing his own father’s mistakes. Scion Downing, a witch by the name of Alice, is a potential herbology prodigy, and a dab hand at arithmancy.”

Orion nodded and made a few notes in a journal of his before motioning for Sirius to continue.

“The Abbott family has risen above the Malfoys this year. It appears that they have recently welcomed a second son into the family.”

Another note.

“The Lupins have risen again, despite the matriarch being a muggle. Lord Lupin has risen to the head of his department, pushing through many bills that have earned him some amount of regard with fanatical lights. They have a son, Remus. There is something different about him. He is not the same as the other children we have met, and his parents seem keen to keep him from the world.”

More notes. A speculative glance.

“The McKinnon horde grows, though not so large as the Downing family yet. The eldest son, Heir Richard McKinnon, nears the time to take up the Lordship. While he remains a sweetheart of the light, his leanings are predominantly neutral. He aims to take over as Head of the DMLE.”

He gave his father a moment before continuing.

“The Bones family attended in part, reportedly trying to set up a betrothal agreement between their daughter, Amelia, and the Abbott heir. The Longbottoms have returned to the political circuit, announcing the official Heirship of Frank Longbottom. Augusta declined to go along, leaving Frank to deliver the news himself.”

Much scribbling here.

“The Crabbes and Goyles still ride the coattails of the Malfoys, whose heir still shows more pride than he should. He was near preening, with Narcissa on his arm. Druella has apparently given in and signed on the betrothal. Rumor has it that they will be wed when she is 16 - a year after Lucius is to take the Malfoy Lordship.”

Notes, again.

“The Blacks still stand families above them all, of course, and many witches commented that Narcissa will be marrying below her station. The Malfoys declined to comment on this. The Greengrass family has announced that it is looking for a potential betrothal for Cygnus, and the Parkinsons have done the same for Weston. The Greengrass family has looked toward Andromeda, but Druella has adamantly refused. She still looks to marry her eldest to an Ogden or Crouch.”

Orion nodded briefly.

“Shortly after the introduction of myself and Regulus, Lady Potter announced that their is a new Lord Evans. The Evans family, as you no doubt recall, was declared extant in the female line when Eudocia failed to bear Ammerius a son. The new Lord’s name is Severus, a properly noble name, but he does not share anything in common with the portraits of Ammerius nor his forefathers. It is possible he was adopted and magically signed into the heirship. He is a halfblood living with squibs, as best as my knowledge has ascertained. He leans to the neutral side, and I have become good friends with him. He may be swayed, Father.”

A quick glance showed Regulus staring wide-eyed at the floor, and Sirius was rather grateful that his brother hadn’t made any other show of surprise.

“The last introduction of the night, usually reserved for either the Potters themselves, or the Minister, was given to the Slytherin family. A new Lady Slytherin has been found. Magic has accepted her, and she is supported by the goblins. Her name is Lily, and she is the younger sister to Lord Evans. She shares much in common with the portraits we have of both Ammerius and Salazar, and it is possible that he brother only rules Evans because he is male. The Evans family was notably patriarchal, after all. Darker leaning families are concerned, but have wisely kept it to themselves. Lady Slytherin’s blood purity is under question, but the goblins will not reveal it. Only a select few have been privileged to know.”

“And are you one of these few, Sirius?”

“I am, Father.” He looked his father in the eyes. “I am sworn not to tell, however.”

“Is it a binding oath?” His father’s arms were crossed and his gaze was steady.

“No, father. I am only honor bound.”

A smile lit up his father’s face as he leant back over his dark tome, pointing at a section Sirius had read before.

“Kaíne ta névra… Do you know what this is, son?”

Sirius nodded shakily.

“Tell me.”

Sirius was trembling now. “The earliest recorded version of the Cruciatus Curse, sir. It was created by the Greeks, the incantation literally meaning ‘to burn the nerves.’ Use of it is prohibited, because it does not require the emotions of the Unforgivables, while it does much more damage. The Cruciatus Curse uses magic to torture the victim.” He had to swallow here. “The Greek Nerve-Fire Curse uses magic to set the nerves on fire, literally burning them beneath the skin.”

“Correct, son. Now, I already know of your mother’s earlier punishments. With that in mind, I’ll make you a deal.” Orion leaned across the desk, lazily pulling out his wand. “Tell me of the little tart, and I  _ won’t _ curse your brother.”

Shock coursed through him. “You would have your heir marked Oath Breaker, Father?”

“Oh, it matters not to me,” Orion shrugged. “We have a spare.”

Sirius swallowed thickly. He knew, he  _ knew _ that he had barely mattered to his parents, but this was new. This hurt, wounded him. He was nothing to his parents except a social foothold. If he failed in his duties, then they had another in his younger brother.

“You can’t make me choose between this! Betraying my friends or making my brother suffer. What choice is this that you give me, Father?”

Orion’s gaze hardened. “You will not raise your voice to me again, Sirius. Every other heir has faced this choice - that of friend versus family. We all chose a certain way. Will you follow?”

“You’re an Oath Breaker, then? Is that why Mother is your second cousin, you disgusting, abysmal, pathetic excuse for a father?!” Sirius put himself between Regulus and his father. “I will not be marked an Oath Breaker. I  _ am _ loyal. I  _ am  _ good. And I will do better than you and Mother ever did!”

Orion was standing now, sneering like he was no more than a measly bug. “You have condemned both yourself and your brother! See if I care then!  _ Kaíne ta névra! _ ”

The spell was a single shot of orange, and it hit Sirius straight in the chest.

Everything  _ burned. _

He crumpled. His nerves were on fire, quite literally. His skin was spotting up in red, bleeding in some places, and blackening in places like his fingertips. He wanted to scream, let the world know that he hurt, but he couldn't draw in the breath to do so. He was convulsing, he knew. His magic wasn’t strong enough to heal him as fast as his body was destroying itself.

He could just barely hear the  _ Crucio _ , hear his brother screaming as he hit the ground.

_ Have to leave. Need help. Have to get away. Need help. Have to leave. Need help. _

He chanted this in his head, over and over, a mantra, a prayer to the gods.

He thought he might be drooling now, but he wasn’t sure. He was definitely convulsing, his body contorting itself under the spell his father had yet to counter.

He lost his place in the mantra at some point, but it didn’t really matter. His world was fire. He was fire. Fire and pain.

Sirius didn’t register the inrush of magic and air, pushing against him and his brother until they were outside of time and space. He didn’t register to cold floor that they were deposited on, or the alarms, the scurrying feet, a crying Regulus, or the screams of horror that filled the night.

All Sirius knew right then was peaceful darkness.

**~x~x~**

“Poppy, can you stabilize him?”

“If we keep spelling potions into him, we can halt the progression of the curse, but I cannot stop it. I don’t know what was used or who cast it. It isn’t registering on any of the diagnostic scans.”

“I’ll tell Horace to brew as many potions as he can. I’ll floo St. Mungo’s, they might know something.”

“Tell Gringotts to send me their best curse breaker while you’re at it, and then get me the entire Aurory. I have a bad feeling about this.”

**~x~x~**

“The healers don’t know what it is. All they can say is to keep spelling the potions into him. We’ll have to take shifts, I think. Horace is constantly brewing while he can, and he has two apprentices brewing near constantly, as well. They’ve been excused from classes.”

“Good, good. Barty should be here soon, some trouble with his son. He’s sending Alastor ahead of him.”

“And the curse breaker?”

“Gringotts is sending their top curse breaker, Quinton Diggory, and King Ragnok. Between those two, Alastor, and Barty, we should be able to find a definitive answer.”

“I hope. We may lose the boy if we can’t.”

**~x~x~**

“What is that light supposed to mean, King Ragnok?”

“It means that Heir Black has been subject to the original Cruciatus Curse for nigh on three days.”

“Do you mean…?”

“It is the Greek Nerve-Fire Curse, Madame Healer. Curse Breaker Diggory will be able to apply the counter curse, and I shall leave you with a regimen that he is to follow to the letter if he ever wants to recover. I will leave a recipe with your Potions Master for Scion Black over there. It will null the effects of the Cruciatus. I do believe he would appreciate an end to the nightmares and convulsions  _ before  _ you foist an addiction to pain relievers and dreamless sleep upon him.”

“Of course. We are ever in your debt, King Ragnok. May the rivers flow with the blood of thy enemies.”

“May your sword ever be sharp, Madame Healer.”

**~x~x~**

“...about you. They’ve stopped by a couple times now. We’re all really hoping you wake up soon. I’ve already had to fight Frank off of your chocolate frogs.”

**~x~x~**

“...weeks now. You’re looking a lot better. Not crispy. They keep spelling stuff into you. The Wizengamot is pushing to have a Legilimens retrieve the memories from you, so that they can move forward with the trial.”

**~x~x~**

Wherever he was was a rather boring place, Sirius surmised. Blank and bleak and bland and black and… Scary. Really scary. He was alone here, and he didn’t really like it.

He was thinking about how great it would be to sleep when, suddenly, there was a bed of moss. That, though, wasn’t right. It felt far too open. When he stepped near it, it felt… good. Happy. 

The thought had barely passed through his head when roots flew forth from the ground, giving way to a twined, towering bunch of trees. He had to count a few times, but he eventually figured there were thirteen. Which was okay. Thirteen  _ was _ a lucky number, after all. If he’d thought a little harder, he would have realised that that was the number of times he had saved his brother from being tortured. He didn’t, though.

Sirius was too busy staring at the large expanse of foliage above him. It made him feel protected, but it was so… obvious. 

Twelve more groups of thirteen trees sprung forth. Sirius was sure there was something hidden in each. Like the one ahead of him. That one had boring stuff, like school lessons and stuff. But that wasn’t right. One of the ones to his right was all sad, another all angry.

The feelings swirled around, mixing themselves up before spiraling up to a hidden moss bed at the top of the tree. The moss bed at the bottom was all mundane stuff, stuff that was safe. Like muggles. He had a tree all about muggles.

The trees were sporadically placed, but it wasn’t quite safe enough. Various ferns and other flora sprouted about, threatening to trip and fell anyone who did not belong. Shrubs grew, filling in gaps and hiding away the entrances to the moss beds. A small creek wound through the grove, and Sirius knew it was much deeper than it appeared.

Eventually, he was satisfied. Jade lions guarded every moss bed, hidden in the thickets. They looked to be stone, but would come to life, snarling and ripping at those who didn’t belong. For Sirius, though, they guarded and he slept, a blanket of soft leaves keeping him warm.

**~x~x~**

Sirius woke to screeching birds and snapping lions.

He peered out from between the bushes, coming face to face with the one man he could have gone his whole life without ever seeing in what he had concluded was his head.

“Ah, Sirius, my boy. Fine shields, fine shields. I hope you won't mind too terribly what I have to do to them. Can't have certain things coming to light, you know. No… the greater good demands certain things of us. We'll count this as your sacrifice, shall we?”

Sirius did the only thing he could and  _ screamed _ .


	13. The Process of Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus heals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that I update so sporadically, and that the chapter lengths are all over the place! I am so incredibly grateful for every kudo and hit and review. It means so much to me. You guys keep me going with this. Thank you.

Sev jolted out of his chair, flinging himself off to the side and out of the way. His heart was thumping something fierce, an intense pounding the threatened to force its way out of his chest. Eyes wide, he snapped his head back and forth, not recognizing his surroundings for a moment. It dawned on him, eventually. He was in the Hospital Wing. He was in Hogwarts.

His heart slowed down. The near panic lost it’s edge.

He looked back around, locating Sirius’ bed.

Every vase in the infirmary shattered, the shards flinging about like ceramic shrapnel. The walls shook, rattling the windows in their frames. Wind and magic commingled, swirling about violently, tossing everything from beds to empty vials.

Madame Pomfrey was slumped over at the edge of the bed, obviously stunned. Albus Dumbledore was perched on the side, Sirius’ jaw held in a bruising grip. They were close enough he was sure Sirius would have been able to feel the old man’s chin whiskers if he’d been awake. As it was, though, it looked rather like he was stuck in the Legilimens spell with the Headmaster.

Rage flowed through Severus. He could not believe the gall of the man! Well. He could, but he didn’t want to.

Panic replaced his rage quick as a dime. Sirius slackened in Dumbledore’s grip, and he was pretty sure the boy was starting to drool.

_Oh god no…_

Dread settled in, and Sev surged to his feet, stumbling over to the bed.

“Siri!” he shouted. “Sirius!”

Sirius was limp, only staying up by the sheer force of Dumbledore’s hand.

“Sirius!” Sev slapped Sirius’ cheek, hoping he would wake. He didn’t.

Panic was coursing through him, stretching him as taut as possible with tension.

“Come on! Sirius, you answer me!”

Nothing.

“Sirius!”

Nothing.

“Fucking bloody fuck!”

Sev couldn’t think straight.

His heart was hammering and he couldn’t breathe or see or anything. He was pretty sure he was sweating, but he couldn’t tell.

And then he had a thought.

“This had better-”

He grabbed Sirius’ face, wrenching it over so he could look Sirius in the eyes.

“Legilimens!”

Nothing.

“C’mon! Legilimens! Legilimens!”

Nothing.

Sev took a deep, centering breath, willing his consciousness back behind his Occlumency shields. His emotions settled, and the magic in the room died down.

“Legilimens,” Sev whispered, just barely more than a breath.

Sev was greeted by fire.

**~x~x~**

The land around was burnt as far as Sev could see. Ash and smoke were thick in the air, making it harder to breathe. Twisted skeletons of trees stood out of the earth, horrific spires of black char against the orange haze of the ravaging fire. Memories floated across the sky, melding and muddling before the occasionally disappearing. He had to squint to see much more, the waves of heat disfiguring the entirety of the landscape.

Eventually, after a fair deal of wandering across what he assumed was once a grove - _an earth based core, like mine_ \- he found them. Sirius was crouched down in a sort of den, hidden beneath a group of trees. He clutched at his head and sobbed violently, his knees up against his chest. Dumbledore stood outside the trees.

The old man’s arms crossed his chest, and he stood tall and proud. Sev could see he was speaking, but he couldn’t hear over the roar of the flames. He creeped closer to the pair, staying as quiet as possible.

"-making it worse, my boy. I ask only for small sacrifice, child, for the greater good. Surely you must understand. For the good of the many, few must suffer. Do you see? In sacrificing this, in letting go and accepting the happenstance of your family, you allow for a brighter, better future?”

“No! No! They’ll hurt me and Reggie! They’ll kill us, you codgy old bastard!”

“Now, now,” the headmaster said, “That’s no way to speak to your elders, my boy. You use respect and language befitting one of your station.”

Dumbledore drew his wand, and Sev knew something was going to go wrong if he didn’t act.

He drew his own, flicking it at Dumbledore. “Expelliarmus!” The thin, white wand flew back towards Sev, clattering to the ground behind him. The old man looked absolutely astonished, and Sev used that to his advantage.

He drew himself up to his (admittedly short) full height, standing with as much pride and dignity as he could.

“As Scion Slytherin, I claim Sirius Orion Black for the Slytherin line. As Lord Evans, I claim Sirius Orion Black for the Evans line.” Sev spoke, not knowing where the words came from or how he knew them. Ambient magic flared to life, dancing playfully around them, letting him know he was doing right. “Albus Dumbledore, you have mentally attacked a child - an absolutely defenseless child - who has done you no wrong. You will explain yourself.”

He could see Dumbledore struggling, but magic was not having it. Sev had spoken with a quiet finality, unknowingly calling upon his family magic. The House of Evans demanded answers, and answers magic would give them.

“Now, Headmaster.”

Dumbledore struggled further, making the magic flare out violently. The force of it almost brought the older man down to his knees. Sev just watched on, waiting patiently for him to spill all.

Eventually, he did.

“I need him raised by the Blacks. He has to understand the dark,” Dumbledore spat out. “He and Regulus. I need them there. They have to be able to understand certain things. They will have a role to play in the future, an important one, if they can survive.”

Sev’s eyes turned hard as he gazed at the old man. “You would condemn two innocent boys to their potential deaths, for what? Some vague, imaginary scenario?”

“There are… rumors… going around. A young man, a past student of mine - I went wrong with him somewhere. Now, he’s bitter, dark. He’s starting a war, preparing an army. I need to ready the board, to take him down.”

“Why you?”

Dumbledore struggled further, resisting the magic that continued to push at him.

“My patience runs thin, Dumbledore. Why must it be you?”

“I- I am a hero. I defeated Grindelwald. I need the prestige of defeating another Dark Lord to push through certain… agendas… The wizarding world is too grey, too bordering on dark. They must be cleansed. I will bring them light.”

“You’re fucking barmy, Albus. Absolutely fucking barmy.”

He straightened himself back up, dismissing the wild magic with a simple wand flick. “Albus Dumbledore, with the power granted me as Lord Evans, I declare you enemy of the House of Evans.” He made eye contact with Dumbledore, disappointment etched into his face. “Until such a time that I find you to be no harm to myself or my friends, you are prohibited any form of contact with myself and all others under the protection of the House of Evans, except in situations of the utmost necessity. So I speak it, so mote it be.”

With that, Dumbledore was rather efficiently evicted, and Sirius’ mindscape finally settled. The winds died down, and the flames went out with the slightest snap.

After a quiet moment, when everything had settled, Sev approached the huddled form of one of his best friends. His hand outstretched, he crouched down next to the boy.

“C’mon, Siri. I don’t know a lot about this Occlumency stuff, but it doesn’t look like any of your memories were actually destroyed. I think he just busted up your shields.”

Sirius looked up, warily eying the offered hand.

“I’ll help you rebuild it even better, if you’d like.”

Sirius gave him a shaky nod, taking his hand.

**~x~x~**

Severus did help rebuild Sirius’ mindscape. It had taken what Madame Pomfrey had told them was nearly two days. Two days of putting Sirius through insurmountable pain, completely ripping up what he’d established as his mindscape, taking breaks, and building it all the way back up.

It was exhausting work. There were points when Severus had reversed the legilimency, tearing apart his own shields piece by piece, so Sirius could get ideas on how to build up better defenses. He’d shown him how to separate them all while keeping them mixed and spread, and how to make it so that it would take more than a single spark to bring it all to ruin.

The spell was broken off  after that. Sev’s mind was snapped forcefully back into it’s own body. There, he was berated by his entire family, Aunt Minnie, and madame Pomfrey about the dangers of interrupting the legilimens spell, and keeping it open for that long. Apparently, he could have irreversibly melded part of his conscious into Sirius’ own mind. Both boys had shuddered at that. They didn’t particularly want any part of them stuck in the other’s head.

The fun started after his mandatory bed rest. Headaches reigned supreme in Sev’s world. From small annoyances to migraines so severe he’d crumpled to the floor, nearly vomiting from the intensity. His night terrors came back with an equal vengeance. Sev would wake up screaming himself hoarse, thrashing about in his bed, fighting off god only knew what. He’d come to to the sight of his mum, gently patting his hair and singing the tune he knew so well. She’d sit up with him, talking like they used to. She’d get him water, and then he’d be back to bed to do it again.

It ran them all ragged. Sev barely slept anymore, instead throwing himself into helping Regulus and Sirius build up their own Occlumency shields. Regulus had taken a bit more work, needing a different method, but eventually the two got it and were sent off to a mind healer. The past years of their lives came to light, and the Black matriarch and patriarch were shunted off to Azkaban, while their children were taken in by Uncle Elphie.

The Black children improved in leaps and bounds. A combination of counseling and potions regimens saw the boys happy and healthy. Severus envied them that.

Rose tried to keep his days as normal as possible, imposing a schedule full of activities that would hopefully keep him busy and too exhausted for nightmares.

It worked… for a while.

That is to say, until Sev learned what intrusive thoughts are.

**~x~x~**

“Muuum!” Sev cried out, his heart pounding, bile rising in his throat. He couldn’t believe he’d just thought that.

In less than a minute she was bursting into his en suite, and he knew she was taking in his tear stained face and how distraught he was sure he looked. He was pretty sure it was very. He was a crying mess, hugging himself and hunched over, toothpaste still in his chin where he hadn’t wiped it off yet.

“Sev, what’s wrong?” She bustled on over to where he was standing, kneeling so she was on his level.

“What’s wrong?” she asked again, taking his face gently in her hands.

“I don’t wanna do it, mum,” he choked out. “I want to but I don’t!”

“What don’t you want to do, love?”

Sev hated that he was making her this worried, that he couldn’t have just stayed happy and content, those memories buried.

“The bad things, mum!” As if she would know what that meant.

She just stared at him, waiting for him to continue on.

Sev cried harder - nearly wailing, really.

“I was brushing my teeth and- and - and all of a sudden I wanted to know what it would f-feel like to hit my he-ad in the mirror!” Sev started sobbing in earnest at his admission. He’d wanted to hurt himself! To really hurt himself!

Tears were welling in his mum’s eyes - not that he could see them then.

“I w-wanted to hurt, mum. It was like a bad me telling me that I deserved to hurt.”

He was gathered up in his mum’s arms, and she drug him to the floor, plopping him in her lap and hugging him close as he cried.

“You don’t, Sev. You don’t,” she told him. “You did nothing to deserve any kind of hurt. You don’t deserve it.”

**~x~x~**

The mind healer Rose had hired - a one Healer Anastasia Smythewick, one of the reportedly best in the hemisphere - looked like she was ready to smack herself in the face with her filed. Repeatedly.

She didn’t, though, thankfully. She settled for plopping down on the bed opposite her charge’s, sighing heavily before eyeing everyone sitting across from her.

“You,” she said, levelling her gaze at Rose, “adopted a child who had been severely neglected, physically, mentally, and sexually abused, who spent god knows how long being raped at the hands of his father, put him through the trauma of legal and medical exams, and got him no counseling. You took his adjusting as a sign that he was okay. When he had a magical fit, you finally sought out mind healing, which lead to him being mind raped, and then sought no further recourse because his occlumency shields had suppressed everything. That is, until he had to  help a close friend, and tear apart his own shields to do so! Afterwards, when he started having debilitating pain and night terrors, you sought ought no help, trying your best to help him yourself! You did not seek out help again until he told you he wanted to essentially bash his skull into a mirror!”

Her voice, which had started even, had steadily risen, until she was red-faced and shouting.

“And you!” she yelled, turning on Madame Pomfrey. “You gave him potions and didn’t push the issue! You! You’re a _healer!_ You’re _job_ is to help him by any means necessary, even if that means seeking out a mind healer yourself!”

Aunt Minnie came under fire next.

“A PROFESSOR! You are a _professor!_ He was under your care! You knew his past! How could you not push the issue?”   
Finally, she turned to the small boy. He was hugging his knees, and she’d bet ten galleons he was crying.

“You, child. You faked your own happiness. You tried to be happy and good for your family, to keep them from worrying.” She crossed over to his bed, sitting next to him. “As honorable as your actions were, they harmed yourself. You let yourself suffer so that those close to you would be happy, but that’s not healthy. You deserve to be happy, too.”

She patted his head gently before picking her files back up. Without another word she was in front of the floo, and taking herself back to her office in St. Mungo’s.

Before she left, she let a scrap of parchment fly out of the fire.

 _Severus Tobias Evans. 9 A.M. session with Healer Smythewick, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments will_ not _be missed._

**~x~x~**

Mind healing, Sev found, could range from dreadfully boring to great fun.

His first appointment, he’d just played in the sand box she’d offered him, completely ignoring the healer. She just sat and watched, taking the occasional note.

The second time he was there, she had paints for him. He painted what he believed looked like a smashed, bloody mirror. She was not impressed.

They went on like this for nearly two month’s worth of sessions. He would try his best to push her buttons, to make her yell or snap, to make her angry at him. It never worked. She would compliment him on his exemplary work, no matter what it was, and continue on letting him act out.

By the time the end of July came around, he was ready to just completely give up.

The healer didn’t let him.

When he came in for his next session, she pointed him to his favorite armchair. On the side table was a thick letter, folded into thirds. He tried to make a point of ignoring it, but curiosity ate at him.

He made it almost ten minutes - a whole ten more than he thought he would - before he _had_ to read it. The letter made his heart sink.

“

_Dear you, whoever you may be,_

_If you’re reading this, then you are undoubtedly in the hands of Healer Anastasia Smythewick. You also are more than likely constantly giving her the stink eye or cold shoulder, or at least doing your utmost to infuriate her. Congratulations. You have not succeeded. I doubt you will._

_I might understand where you’re coming from, I might not. You’ll have to determine that yourself._

_I know you’ve been abused. Those are the only cases our esteemed healer takes, so you cannot pretend you were not. Whatever you believe defines abuse aside, Healer Smythewick has determined that your case was, in fact, abuse. You cannot argue this._

_I know that you’re angry, at least a little. We all are. We meaning every other child to have suffered as we have. How that anger manifests is unique, but shares a few key commonalities. You’re undoubtedly angry at your abuser, and you have that right. What they have to done to you is horrendous and disgusting. To abuse a child in any fashion is a heinous crime, one which offers no repentance. You may also be angry at yourself, for letting it happen. Don’t be. Your abuse and suffering came through no fault of your own. No one deserves abuse. Absolutely no one. You did nothing to deserve it, and I sincerely doubt you could have stopped it in any fashion. Abusers do what they can to hurt others in any manner possible._

_I know that you_ are _suffering. This is normal and understandable, I assure you. You have been through a trauma, no matter how big or small, and it will have affected you. It may have given you nightmares, night terrors, or insomnia. You may find yourself overwhelmed with anxiety, flashbacks, or paranoia at the slightest reminders. You may be incurably sad or angry or voided of emotion. This is normal. Brains are not built for coping with trauma. They just aren’t. No brain is, be it that of a goldfish to that of the strongest, bravest adult you may know._

_I know that you are not alone. How could you be? You have myself and Healer Smythewick, at the very least, and someone who cared enough to seek her out. That’s three people there that want to see you get better, at the very least._

_She just wants to see you become the best that you can. She wants to help you, so that you can smile and laugh without forcing it. So that you can live day to day without that ache that haunts your chest._

_I implore you, let her. Let yourself heal._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Callista Smythewick_

”

Severus looked up at the healer, taking in her look of sad resignation.

“Callista, she- Smythewick- Is she…?”

The healer nodded her head slowly. “My daughter, yes. I- I made a bad choice in father for her, after her own passed away. He was kind at first. He spoiled us, gave us whatever it was we wished for.” Severus had a sinking feeling where this was going as the healer looked out her office window. “He started holding it over us, telling us we owed him. That our lives were only worth living because of him. When she got her Hogwarts letter, he was furious. Threw it in the fire. Told us he would not pay for an insufferable whelp’s schooling when she wasn’t even his. She’d done nothing to prove that she deserved it,  after all.”

Silence hung thick between them for a good, long while.

Sev stared at his toes. His own morbid curiosity drove him to know of Callista’s fate, but there was a feeling in his gut. It told him that he already knew.

“He stunned me,” she admitted, barely above a whisper. “Stunned me before dragging her to his room.” She paused, blinking away tears. “He did it again and again, until she became pregnant. He told everyone that she was a whore, sleeping around with the neighborhood boys. When I told him I was going to the police, he threatened to kill her.”

Another long pause, in which the healer hung her head.

“She died anyway. Twelve year olds are not meant to bear children. That letter was penned by myself, on behalf of her ghost, almost ten years after her death.”

Silence fell between them, interrupted just barely by the both of them crying.

Eventually, Sev couldn’t take it. He flung himself into the healer’s chair, hugging her as tight as he could.

“I’m sorry! I’m so, so _sorry_!” he sobbed. “You just wanna help and I’ve been all ungrateful and awful and I’m sorry! I’m sorry for you and Callista and I promise I’ll behave! We can talk about anything! Anything!”

Anastasia simply patted his back, her own tears falling silently.

“All in due time, Severus, all in due time. So long as you try, I have not a complaint about you.”

**~x~x~**

One of the first things the healer did was give Sev a book that explained why Occlumency was great for use in mind healing, but also why it wasn’t the end all be all of it, and he finally understood why she’d been so angry. If he simply shoved aside the memories and feelings, they’d simply sit there and rot, festering away in some corner of his mind until they dissolved his shields, causing them all to flood forward while causing him immense pain and mental damage. He’d apologized profusely.

The next thing she did was tell him that they could do whatever it was he wanted. She could not and would not ever force him to talk about anything if he didn’t want to. It was his healing, and had to be done at his own pace.

The night terrors continued to plague him, something he wasn’t allowed to take potions for. Anastasia assured him that they would eventually die down.

Around the three month mark, at the end of August, Sev was finally opening up about everything. It started off small, with him admitting that it was wrong - that he had the right to feel hurt and wronged and angry. She had him write a letter to both of his parents (“It doesn’t matter that they can’t read it. It’s an outlet. It lets you express your feelings in a healthy way.” “Like punching the dummy?” “Sort of.”). They ended up being quite long, with holes in areas where the ink had piled in so thick and roughly that it ripped through the parchment. There were tear stains and smudged words and quite a few indistinguishable points, but eventually they were written. Anastasia promised not to read them, and she stuck to it. The trust she earned was incredible.

Severus found that he liked telling it as a story, with a different boy as the protagonist. It was something Anastasia nipped quickly in the bud, telling Severus that as nice as it was to dissociate himself from his past, it wasn’t healthy. He didn’t like that one much.

Painting was nice. He’d tell her what he was thinking of when he painted a particular picture, laying his entire thought process bare before her. It helped, a little.

What helped him most, though, was when she just let him cry. Those moments were the best, he thought. He would start the appointment with a memory - they worked forward from his earliest - and he would explain it all. He would tell of what had happened to the best of his knowledge, his interpretations, and his feelings during and later, once he’d processed it. After, she would remind him that it was not his fault. She would quickly and efficiently dissect his every bad feeling, making sure he understood that he was not at fault for his parents’ relationship, his mother’s weakness, nor his father’s drinking. These were all out of his control. They had harmed him, and he was allowed to feel bad and sorrowful and hurt about it all, but he did not deserve it. They did not make him damaged goods, nor give him baggage. It was another facet of what made Severus Evans, a facet he was still trying to figure out. Eventually he would come to grips with it, realizing again that he was only a child. He was only a child. And he would cry and heal, and all was better again.

The night terrors finally stopped near November. Through some trial and error, they had realized that he was terrified of the dark and being alone. Anastasia found an artisan to craft a lightbox out of white oak for Severus, adding a charm that would let them record a lullaby from Rose. So long as the Everlasting Candle was lit, the song would play. It helped, soothing him to sleep. A charm was also added to Severus’ bed, waking either of his parents should he be in distress. That way, they could be there when he woke, reaffirming that he was never alone.

That had been another few weeks of discussion - making Severus realize all of the good he had in his life. He did not have to suffer alone know. He had a family to ease his burdens, to help him. They cared for and loved him. He deserved this family and all of the compassion and joy and love they showered upon him. He deserved to be happy.

The year rolled around and passed. Severus was ten, nearing eleven. He had been with the Evans family since he was seven. He had been safe for three years.

He thrived.

Severus read and read, craving knowledge. He came out of his shell, slowly but surely. He asked questions as often as he could, refusing to be left in the dark about absolutely anything. He became independent and took on some of Lily’s stubbornness. He dedicated himself to everything he could. He danced with Petunia and Marlene in the studio, learning every form of dancing he could get someone to teach him, with a touch of gymnastics thrown in when he couldn’t dance. He learned to garden with Rose and Frank, despite his lack of a true green thumb. His father taught him the basics of carpentry, and Lily taught him about being one with the world.

Minerva set him to potions, ensuring that he was allowed to like something that Eileen had enjoyed. He took to it like a duck to water. From Remus, Severus learned about patience and kindness, giving as much good as he could to all. Alice showed him how to limit himself, to let himself come first sometimes. Regulus taught him of pure innocence, how to care and nurture it - though that had come with trial and error. Uncle Elphie and Sirius showed him how to have fun - To let himself be absolutely free, and enjoy all the world had to offer.

His favorite lesson, and the one he took most to heart, came from Anastasia: he had survived. Through everything, he had survived. He was living proof that his father had been wrong. He was everything his parents were not.

Anastasia taught him to see his own worth, his own good.

He was not broken. He never would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another year to go and our babies will be in Hogwarts! How many chapters that will take is a small mystery, but we'll see. When it does end, Magic in Cokeworth will be marked as complete, and I'll start posting the next part in the series. I'll try my best to make sure to give you a fair warning as to when that's going to happen.


End file.
